


The Paladin or the Wheel?

by nonna



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU where Lance existed in s2, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Langst, Post Season 2, The Blade of Marmora - Freeform, Voltron Season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 23:33:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9407705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonna/pseuds/nonna
Summary: Lance felt lonely.Set after season 2, all the other paladins began tending to their personal missions and lives, and Lance only felt more left out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ya girl is back with a Langst fic at nearly 4 in the morning, because who needs sleep when you have Voltron amiright? I binge watched the show of course, and because I know I will be busy with school and work next week, I thought I should publish a chapter asap. 
> 
> Now, while s2 blessed™ me with Keith, Lance was nearly nonexistent. And as you all know, he is my little son, and I need more angst for him... so here we are.
> 
> Please note there is a time jump (where somehow Shiro is back but Lotur hasn't showed up. I want Shiro to be okay. Pls).

“I’m just sayin’, like, if you guys need any extra help down there, I can come with…” Lance said slowly, raising an eyebrow, leaning in closer to Shiro. “You never know what you might face down there. You might need your Sharp Shooter, am I right?”

“Ugh, can you _stop_ with that name?” Pidge huffed, rolling her eyes. “Hunk is already going, and he’s got a pretty big shooting gun, too. I think we’ll be fine.”

Lance crossed his arms, his lips shaping into a frown. “It wouldn’t hurt to have an extra hand. I don’t need to stay back in the castle while all of you get to infiltrate that ship.”

Shiro exhaled patiently and placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “All four of us are going, Lance, along with the guys from the Blade of Marmora. We need you to stay back here to help Coran and Allura. We’ll be fine.”

The Blade of Marmora. 

Lance stepped back, out of Shiro’s way, and nodded. “If you say so,” he mumbled.

He watched as the team left, with the soldiers of the Blade of Marmora at their feet. He was no longer the seventh wheel, then. More like the twelfth. Or thirteenth, if he counted Slav. To be honest, Slav _was_ valued more on this castle; everyone seemed to have gotten used to his antics, and so he spent the majority of his time working with Allura, Hunk, Pidge and Coran, the other tech geeks.

Of course, Shiro and Keith were spending the majority of their time with Kolivan and his soldiers. Keith out of kinship, mostly. Lance couldn’t blame him. Finding out you are Galra, afterall, is not easy. It made sense for him to seek answers from Kolivan and to try and bond with them.

But at one point… it started to feel like everyone’s focus began to shift.

Sure, they were still out to find Zarkon. But being weakened, he was no longer posing any imminent threats, which gave the team more time to tend back to their personal missions. Allura and Coran were travelling around Space Malls in pursuit of Altean items to help enhance the castle and redesign it so it feels more like “home”. 

Shiro was still recovering, of course, after having been located weeks after disappearing during the fight. He was easing back into training, and Kolivan seemed to teach him many skills about fighting with his Galran arm. Kolivan also appeared to be a wonderful teacher for Keith, who spent an unnerving amount of time in the Blade of Marmora uniform, practicing with his Galran blade and learning the language. 

Hunk, meanwhile, was simply enjoy his time with Shay, who had decided to join them abroad the castle. She loved to bake with him; they always tried new recipes. She also helped him and Pidge work with the crystal to improve the machinery in the castle. 

Lastly, Pidge was… well, she was happier than Lance had ever seen her. They had located her brother, Matt, on one of their missions to pursue a distress signal. Her father’s whereabouts remained a mystery, but she was adamant to find him. She spent most of her time catching up with Matt while they worked on a new project together. They were a pair of very, very smart siblings.

Which left Lance.

Too incompetent to train with Keith and Shiro and their squad (and definitely not coolor brooding enough). Not smart enough to hang around Pidge and Hunk. Not Altean enough to spend time with Allura and Coran (unless he was doing a chore). Too awkward to sit with Hunk and his girlfriend or with Pidge and her long-lost brother.

So… yeah. He was pretty lonely, even in a castle with over fifteen inhabitants.

Okay, to be fair, maybe the cow kept him company occasionally.

But that was… it. 

“Lance, are you alright?” Coran asked, snapping his fingers in front of Lance’s face. “You haven’t been listening to me, have you? Your thoughts are wandering.”

Lance let his arms drop to his sides, and he gave Coran a small smile. “Sorry.”

“I was wondering if you would like to go clean the healing pods while you wait?”

The smile dropped off Lance’s face, and he groaned. “Do I have to?”

“Well, you’re the one who wanted something to do.”

“…. Fine.”

Lance sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading out towards the healing room. If he were to be honest, he felt that he was cleaning the pods more than he was even out fighting in his lion nowadays. 

Though it may sound like it, he wasn’t _sulking._ He wasn’t, okay? But seriously, it was hard to keep pushing it aside. It had felt fine at first; If Pidge was busy, he would go annoy Keith. If Keith was busy, he would hang out with Hunk. But then they _all_ got busy, and Lance would often find himself sitting in the control room, staring out at space, or hanging out with Blue at the Hangars.

What was out here for him, anyway? He rested his head against the interior of the pod (was this the fifth one he’s cleaned already? He hadn’t kept count), slouching down with a wet towel in hand. Even if Zarkon were to return…. what would he _do_? For all he knew, Kolivan or Antok might be able to pilot Blue in his place. She was the friendliest lion, after all, and most likely to accept a new paladin. 

And he really, _really_ missed Earth. He wanted to go home.

In fact, he felt that he should.

If no one needed him out in space, and if it was slowly ripping him apart to be there (he wished he was exaggerating, but some days it truly felt that way), then…. why should he stay? He, quite literally, could not think of a solid reason for him to stay.

And yet, he was too cowardly to leave.

_Maybe I’ll just wait for Allura to kick me out_ , he thought. _Then I won’t feel guilty about abandoning a mission to save the universe. Well, actually, I’ll feel pretty terrible about being so useless, but––_

“Lance!”

He snapped out of his thoughts, looking up to where Allura’s voice came from the speakers. “Yes, princess?”

“They’re in trouble. They need something––or someone––to distract the Galra from the outside. Do you think you can keep their attention occupied for a little while?”

Oh, yes, dodging fire from hundreds of Galra fleets all alone was always fun, wasn’t it?

“I’ll be out there in a minute, Princess.” He said instead.

Well, at least it was something to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a lot to offer to the team, but will they take it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh yes another chapter already. I won't promise that all updates will be this frequent, but I saw the chance to stay up late and write this weekend, so I did. This is a fairly lengthy chapter, enjoy!!

“Over here!” Lance yelled, extending the vowels for emphasis as he and Blue circled around the Galra fleets. “You want to get to the guys inside? You gotta take me down first, because I _will_ make your life Hell!”

He inhaled sharply, hoping it would work. He could draw the attention of some of the fleets for a short period of time, but he could not by any means stop all of them and certainly not for too long. He only hoped that he could clear the path enough for the rest of the team to finish their mission quickly so they could get going.

But still, there was a thrill in being back in Blue and firing at the evil Galra guys. 

“Let’s have some fun, Blue,” he said with a smirk. He pushed down on the handles, driving Blue forwards at a high speed, and began to fire at various Galra fleets. Explosions sounded, followed by the bursting of flames and eruption of dark smoke. Two fleets down. He grinned, steering Blue to the right and into a belly roll as she blasted a few more with a laser. “That’s right! Take that, bad Galra dudes!”

It went on for a while. Lance would destroy the fleets, then focus on evading their shootings by maneuvering Blue around skillfully. Once he had confused their aiming enough, he would strike again, letting out a yell of victory.

The Galra figured he was a real threat, after a while. They began to send more fleets out his way. Lance didn’t notice, at first. But after taking down numerous fleets, he was surprised to see so many left standing. _I could have_ sworn _I took out the ones over there_ , he thought. _Guess I have to go again_.

He turned on his microphone for the comms. “What’s the status with you guys?”

There was a brief moment of silence before Keith responded. “We’ve got some unexpected company. We’re a little behind plan. Can you keep us covered for a little longer? A lot of the soldiers are heading out your way––definitely cleared our path.”

“Oh,” Lance said, “okay. Yeah, I got you guys covered. Nothing Blue and I can’t handle. Isn’t that right, Blue?”

“Thanks, man.” 

“No problem.” Lance replied as he turned the comms back off. 

Time for a little more Tom & Jerry games with the Galra. It was fun being Jerry; sneaking his way around, getting what he wanted, and evading Tom––despite Tom being stronger and larger. 

Until he realized he was turning into the Tom of the situation. Blue was taking more hits, and as Lance attempted to maneuver her out of the way, an unexpected hit would come from another direction. He grunted. He couldn’t even shoot anymore, not when he could not lock his aim on something.

“Blue, let’s try to freeze em up. Don’t need to aim, just freeze whatever’s in your way.” Lance told his lion, who responded by opening her mouth and preparing an ice blast. “That’s my girl.”

As Blue released her icy blast, Lance steered her so she turned to the left, hitting more of the fleets before her blast died out. Unfortunately, the ice blasts did not seem to be as effective as shooting the small ships down, seeing as it did not hinder the function of the majority of the ships. Well, damn. 

Lance turned the comms on again. “What’s taking you guys so long?!”

Static. “We’re almost finished, Lance.” Hunk replied. “We’re on our way back to the Green lion, but a few Galra soldiers are blocking our way.” The sound of his weapon firing echoed in Blue’s cockpit. “How are you holding up?”

“Uh,” Lance muttered, steering Blue to a sharp belly roll to evade a laser blast. “I’m holding up for now. But there’s too many of them out here.”

“Just a little while longer,” Shiro reassured. 

Lance nodded to himself, returning his focus to the fight. A hit to Blue’s face momentarily knocked the breath out of Lance’s lungs, followed by another one, hitting them again before he could regain his breathing. He steered blue down, trying to get some space between him and the fleets, as he inhaled sharply. 

He was aware of the several ships that had followed him down, and he moved Blue out of the way of their shots, easier now that he was being attacked from one direction. He came to a stop, then, and turned sharply back up, blasting them with Blue’s laser. They exploded, one by one, and Lance grinned.

“Okay, we’re in the Green lion,” Pidge announced. 

“Everyone back to the Castle. We need to get out of here.” Allura order.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Lance replied, speeding back towards the castle.

 

* * *

 

“What took you guys so long?” Lance asked, taking off his helmet as he entered the control room. “I guess our distraction plan went all too well. They all came out after me.”

Pidge crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you were the sharp shooter. You’re telling me you couldn’t handle a few Galra ships?”

“A few is understating it,” Lance noted. “But no, I handled them just _fine_ , thank you.” He paused. “Who the heck is _that_? New addition to Voltron family?” A (human) man stood between Matt and Shiro. Lance’s eyes widened, noting the uncanny resemblance between the man, Matt and Pidge. “Wait. Are you Mr. Holt?”

Sam smiled. “You must be Lance.”

“It’s an honour to meet you, Sir,” Lance said sincerely. He set his helmet down on his seat and walked towards the older man, extending a hand. Sam took it, shaking it lightly. “I am a huge fan. I mean, you and Shiro? You guys were some of the brightest researchers at Galaxy Garrison. I read all of your works and _all_ about your missions. It’s really great to be standing with you _both_.”

Sam laughed. “Thank you, Lance. There’s no need for that. If anything, I’m honoured to be with the Paladins of Voltron. It’s an even bigger honour to know that my own Katie is one of them.” His eyes softened as he spoke. “I am glad you’ve found Matt. It drove me insane when they moved him to another base. I always prayed that he would be alright.”

Matt smiled, resting a hand on one of his father’s. 

“I understand that you need the time to rest, Sam.” Allura said slowly. “And the time to rejoice with your children. But I’m afraid I must ask this now; you mentioned something about Prince Lotor, Zarkon’s son. What information do you have about him?”

Sam nodded. “Of course. Well, they called us out to work on building them some giant cubes that would inhabit the shape of its attacker. As we worked, I heard the men in charge chat, saying that Prince Lotor would rise once more, now that his father was weakened. The witch, Haggar, called for him. She doesn’t know his exact whereabouts, however. No one does. Family problems, it seems. He wanted power, Zarkon did not want to give up any of his. So rumour has it that Lotor developed his own city that he now rules, away from his father’s grand ship.”

Allura sagged. “And how are we supposed to find him?”

“Well, I heard that he has a base underwater, but that’s about it.”

“That could be _anywhere_.” Pidge moaned.

They stood in silence.

“Well, you guys are Galra. Don’t you know where your Prince might be hiding? He must have went back to a Galra city. Otherwise, how would he find Galran citizens to rule? Zarkon wouldn’t have given up his own soldiers. He obviously couldn’t have gone back to the major Galran city, either, because Zarkon would have figured out his location that way.” Lance reasoned, addressing the Blade of Marmora. “So… any Galran cities underwater?”

Kolivan furrowed his eyebrows. “You make valid points. I am… not sure, actually. I can only recall the city of Zurgal, which was much more of an inhabitable, industrial town than a city. It’s located on planet Kyura, in the Midelian Galaxy… or Molden Galaxy? I have not visited it, but I recall studying about it. Its environment is not exactly habitable, and most of the Galra who live there are sent as prisoners. They manufacture goods, but all die under the harsh conditions.”

“How harsh are we talking?” Keith asked.

“The water is on the acidic end.” Kolivan explained. “Galra can handle more acidic temperatures than most species, but even we can only survive for so long under the waters of Zurgal. I cannot recall for sure, but I believe the water was also said to be extremely cold. Acidic, freezing water is not exactly… pleasant.”

Shiro crossed his arms. “I don’t see why Lotor would go there, then. Doesn’t he want his own citizens?”

“Maybe he wanted an army.” Matt suggested. “Slaves to manufacture the ships and weapons for him. Slaves that would die soon in any case. And the Galra empire would not know of their presence because none live to escape and share the news of Lotor’s presence. Instead, he would keep getting more of them.”

Allura inhaled sharply. “That is… that is terrible. But… Kolivan, are you sure there are no others?”

“The Galra are not particularly fond of water,” Antok noted. “If you have noticed, many of the planets the Galra occupy are solid and do not have many underwater venues. Have you fought any Galra underwater?”

They mulled it over for a minute before shaking their head no.

“I think it is our best bet.”

“But it’s too risky,” Allura said with a sigh. “We can’t go barging into Zurgal without any evidence of Lotor’s presence there. And even then, what do we do _with_ Lotor?”

Kolivan shrugged. “We end him.”

Oh.

“It’s too risky to send my human paladins there.” Allura repeated. “What about the lions? Could they withstand the place?”

Coran placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “The lions aren’t invincible. If they fall into acid, they could be damaged forever. However, if the Galra can survive a few years there, then I see no reason why the lions––”

“The Galra survive two months at maximum there. I never said years.” Kolivan pointed out. “In any case, if the lions can survive, they will not function at their best. And if they do, then they cannot do all the work for us. Your uniforms may not survive the place for too long.”

They remained in silence.

“I can go,” Lance offered. All eyes turned to him, and he stepped back subconsciously. “I’m just saying. If it’s underwater, then you know Blue is the most equipped and most likely to withstand the environment. When you guys found Kolivan’s base, you took Keith, Shiro, because you believed Red was the most equipped lion for that scenario. Well, I think Blue is good for this one. Not to mention that I love the ocean, and I’ve been diving my whole life, so getting around shouldn’t be a big problem in terms of the basic skills. Once I locate Lotor, I can confirm his whereabouts with you guys, then you can jump in.”

“No,” Shiro said, simultaneous with Kolivan’s “Genius!”

Lance looked from one to the other.

“No,” Shiro insisted, turning to Kolivan. “You said a Galra can barely survive there. I’m not sending Lance on his own.”

“But he _is_ the most equipped, as he said. The Blue lion may be able to survive the waters more so than any of yours. Does she not breathe ice? Then she can also survive the temperature of the waters, at least.”

“Wait. How does _Lotor_ survive there, then?” Hunk asked.

“I guess I’ll find out when I meet him,” Lance answered.

“No, I mean, maybe he doesn’t even _live_ there. Maybe he has another base somewhere.”

Hunk was right. 

“It’s a starting point,” Sam said. “If we do not find him, then we may at least find someone who can help us locate him.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Shiro repeated, looking at Lance. 

Lance shifted under his gaze, unnerved by the concern that filled the older man’s eyes.

“Danger is my middle name,” Lance said, trying to muster up some confidence. “I got this, Shiro. Let me _do_ something for this team for once. I know that––I know that it can be hard to trust me sometimes, and I know I mess things up a lot… but I take my missions seriously. Even if I joke throughout. I _promise_ I won’t mess it up.”

“Lance, it’s not about trust–––”

“You let Keith go through that test Kolivan set up just because he wanted to know the story behind his blade! You _knew_ it was dangerous, stupid even, and you let him do it because it was important to him. This is important to me! You also let Keith and Hunk go grab that crystal stuff from the worm, despite it being dangerous. Oh, and you let Pidge and Matt go down alone to that Galra occupied planet––what was it called? Lotus?––because Pidge wanted to sneak by and muse at their tech. How is this not about trust?”

Shiro furrowed his eyebrows as tension began to rise in the room. “I don’t want you to get hurt for no reason.”

“But if I pull a _Keith_ ––or even an Allura! She ran away with Keith in the pod, remember?––then you won’t stop me? I’d do it, except I know you’d all chew my head off for doing something behind your backs. Look, I don’t ask for much, okay? I’m happy being here fighting next to you guys and being the guy on-call. But… I _am_ a paladin. And if you don’t trust me enough to go on this mission, then you don’t trust me as a _Paladin_.”

_Not to mention that even if you do lose me on this mission, not much will change in the team_. 

Shiro was at a loss for words.

“You’re being dramatic,” Keith hissed. “Not everything is about you. You don’t need to turn this into some––some dramatic self-worth speech.”

“But everything is about you, isn’t it?” Lance retorted, hands curling into fists at his sides. He should cut it out. There would be no point in voicing all of his thoughts. But he couldn’t stop the words from flowing. “You think we don’t know that Shiro wanted you to be the next Black Paladin? Even though you’re _the_ most hot-headed Paladin and the first one ready to jump to violent measures? Special Paladin Keith. Half-Galra! Keith wanted to find out about his blade, so he almost fucked up our alliance with the Blade of Marmora. That’s not selfish _at_ _all_.”

Keith’s jaw clenched, and he stood up, marching towards Lance. “You think I _like_ being in this position?”

“Why wouldn’t you? You’ve found your family,” Lance pointed to Kolivan, “and you’re also the best pilot in the universe, who gets to fight with a sword and a badass lion. This is your happy place, Keith, and you can’t deny it.”

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down, you two.” Shiro said with a louder voice, stepping between the two boys. “This isn’t about Keith. This isn’t about trust, or––or anything that you’re talking about, Lance.”

“He can’t handle not being the star of the show for once.” Pidge muttered.

“This isn’t the first time!” Lance yelled. “Why did you leave me behind in the castle today, Shiro? Huh? I’ve only joined you in the field _once_ in the past seven missions. Otherwise I’ve been in Blue, taking watch, creating a distraction…”

“Well, we need you to do that. That’s your position.” Hunk supplied.

Lance’s nose scrunched. “Right. I forgot. I’m the only one on the team who was no special skill. The only one on the team who can’t demand to join a mission, even though Keith and Pidge will literally create their _own_ missions and we will go through with them.”

“What’s going on?” Antok whispered to Kolivan in the background.

Kolivan shrugged.

“Why are you making this bigger than it is?” Keith snapped. “You’re part of a team. Everyone has their role!”

Suddenly, Lance felt the energy drain from him. Why was he arguing them? It would accomplish nothing, and he _knew_ that; it was why he’d kept quiet about it this entire time. He sighed, and nodded. “And I have no role but to follow all your orders. Got it.” He said weakly.

“Don’t say it like that,” Keith said, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. “It’s not like that. We just… we can’t all be a leader. Sometimes we just have to take the orders and go with it.”

‘ _And you’re not a leader’_ was left unsaid.

Lance heard it anyways.

He didn’t answer.

“Well, can we think about Lotor another day?” Pidge said instead. “He’s not exactly an immediate danger to us, and I’d really like to catch up with my Dad. Do you mind if we take him to the rooms?”

Allura tore her gaze away from Lance and turned to look at Pidge. She nodded slowly. “Of course. I’m sorry I brought it up so soon. We’ll figure something out later.”

_So they’re still completely ignoring my suggestion_ , Lance thought.

“Why don’t we all go relax for now? I think we need it.” Allura continued.

_Yes. Let’s go relax. We’ll discuss Lotor another day, most likely while Lance is away. Then we will comm him and command him to go clean the pods while the team handles it_. 

_Wonderful idea_.

Lance was the first to leave the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, I uploaded chapter 3 last night and then I decided that I did not like it, so I deleted it and fixed it up today. I hope you guys will like this chapter!

Kolivan looked up, surprised to hear someone knocking at his door at this time. Everyone had retired to their rooms hours ago, including Keith. Who would be seeking him? Perhaps it was the Princess?

He pressed the button next to his bed, unlocking the door and allowing it to slide open.

He did, however, stand straighter when he saw the Blue Paladin standing in his doorway, clad in his uniform and the helmet. “Blue Paladin. What brings you here at this hour?”

“My name is Lance,” Lance said pointedly. It sounded odd to hear him speak with such a tone. "I need your help.”

“And how may I assist you, Lance?”

“I’m going after Prince Lotor. To Zurgal.”

Kolivan furrowed his eyebrows, pushing his blanket off and rising out of bed. Lance raised his head as the Galran towered over him, but he did not break eye contact. Kolivan crossed his arms. “I cannot help you with that.”

“You know where it is.”

“I will not help you go on such a mission without a proper plan. You will need backup, You will need proper coordinates, locked onto by the castle. You will need a wormhole. I will not aid you in such a foolish plan.”

Lance growled. “Fine.” With that, he turned around, storming out of the room. 

Kolivan’s breath caught in his throat, and he followed the younger man. Catching up with Lance was not particularly hard when his strides were much longer. “Wait,” he hissed. “You cannot go alone. I do not know what it is going on between you and your team, but I will not let you get yourself killed.”

Lance stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the Galran. “What’s going on is that they forget I’m a paladin. Anything they do is fine because they’re paladins and they must take risks to save the universe. But they don’t trust me with anything.”

“Come. We can discuss this in my room. Unless you wish for someone to overhear you discuss your plan?”

Lance shook his head, and followed Kolivan back to his room. Kolivan returned to sit on his bed, but Lance remained standing. His posture was tense. The boy was normally so laid back, it felt unnerving to see him in such a condition. “You feel that you are under appreciated by your team?”

“No, fuck that.” Lance snorted. No one was around to call him out for using bad language, so he went with it. “I gave up on that a long time ago. I can’t expect to get appreciated when the whole team is risking their lives for the same mission. I don’t expect anyone to pat my back and thank me for blasting a few aliens.”

“Then…?”

“I feel like I’m not part of the team. Period.”

Kolivan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Why do you say that?”

Lance grit his teeth. “Why does that matter? I’m not here to rant to you about my insecurities. Are you going to help me or not?”

Kolivan frowned. “I will not help you travel blindly on such a mission. We need to conduct more research on Zurgal before we can send you there. Although…” He inhaled slowly. “Although I recall a victorious tale of Luktok, one of Altea’s blue paladins, in Zurgal.”

“A victorious tale? So he survived under Zurgal?”

“Yes. A civilization named the Jurna were Galran enemies for many years. When they heard of Zurgal, they set course to the prisons. They wanted to take the Galran prisoners and use them as their own slaves. The paladins were called to call off the attack, with Zarkon himself as the Black Paladin. I’m not sure what happened in great detail, but I do know that the green lion went offline only a telth after landing in Zurgal.”

“A telth?”

“A third of an hour. It’s a Galran term.” Kolivan explained. “In any case, this caused the remainder of the paladins great concern, and they towed the green lion out of the waters before they, too, could get affected. Only Luktok remained, however, insisting that his lion felt stronger than ever. Together, he and his lion took down the entire army, using the environment as their shield and source of power.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “That means I _have_ to go on this mission. So it’s confirmed that Blue will not only survive, but she will _thrive_ under that setting! And it’s too dangerous for the other lions. Why didn’t you mention this to Allura and Shiro?”

Kolivan locked eyes with Lance, his gaze turning serious. “Loktuk may have survived, but you must remember that tales are always exaggerated and they always lack some truth. This was a child’s tale I recall. I have no evidence that the blue lion can thrive under Zurgal, as you say; certainly not enough to argue the Altean Princess, and certainly not enough to send you down there. You are a new paladin. How can you be sure that you and Blue will be able to work as well together as it did with Loktuk?”

Lance’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Blue and I have a strong connection.”

“The black lion took Shiro to the astral plane and fought Zarkon because it chose him as its paladin. The red lion sought Keith multiple times, feeling his distress at distances the princess herself did not know were possible. Pidge connected with her green lion at an atomic level, sensing every code and machine churning within her lion. Have you reached that stage with your lion yet?”

Lance began to feel his eyes burn, but he refused to blink, afraid that if he did, the tears brimming in his ducts would travel down his cheeks. Why had he thought seeking help from a Galran rebel would be a good idea? It was a stupid mistake. He should have climbed onto Blue and asked her to take him there herself.

“I don’t mean to demean your experience as a paladin,” Kolivan said. Lance nearly snorted at that. “I am simply stating the truth. Loktuk was one of the oldest paladins to live. He fought with Blue for hundreds of years. To say that he succeeded in a battle does not indicate that you will. You are at the best odds, and you are the most equipped for this mission––I still believe in that. But I do not believe that you should go alone.”

“Then what? I’m supposed to sit around here and wait until they figure out a way for themselves to go hunting Lotor down while they leave me behind again?” Lance asked in an icy tone. “I’m not going to do that. This is the _one_ mission that seriously calls for my speciality.”

“It’s far too risky for you to go without a proper plan.” Kolivan repeated.

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Lance said sincerely. “My job out here is to try and protect the universe. I can’t do that without taking risks. The team would know; they’re always taking risks because they _know_ we have to. I don’t have anything to lose. I would rather die trying than live another hundred years as a worthless paladin.”

Kolivan studied him carefully. After a few moments of silence, he gave Lance a small smile. “I admire your determination. Just as many of us in the Blade of Marmoma have decided that we would rather die fighting for our freedom of Zarkon than live an eternity as his soldiers, you have a right to decide on your priorities as a paladin. If this is a risk you are willing to take for the universe, then I will respect that. I will provide you with as much help as I am capable of.”

Lance let out a shaky breath in relief. Kolivan was going to help him.

“I need to get a wormhole opened. I don’t know how to start one. I also don’t know the coordinates for Zurgal. Can you help me with that?”

Kolivan smirked. “I may have something better than a wormhole.”

 

* * *

 

“Is this like the space pocket?” Lance asked, studying the device in his hands. It was a small, black box, lined with glowing purple lights at the rims. “Or is it like that echo weapon that copied everything aimed at it?”

“It’s neither.” Kolivan admitted. “It is rare. You must be very careful with it. It’s a Galra-specific transportation device, of some sorts. It is capable of taking you to only two places: a territory where Galrans may live, and back to any living Galran man or woman you can think of. The danger, here, lies in the unknown. If no more Galrans occupy Zurgal, and you wish the device to take you there, it may get… confused. It may take you to an unknown destination.”

“Oh. That’s not good.”

“No, it is not. And as for its other purpose… if you wish to return to a Galran you thought was living, but has died since you saw them…”

“Will it _literally_ take me to them?”

“So they say.”

“Huh. Well, then you can’t die before I come back, okay? I don’t exactly want to join you in the afterlife. No offense.”

Kolivan smiled. “You must be careful. If you feel that you are in too much danger, or that your lion can no longer handle the environment, you must will the box to help you return immediately.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

“And use the private coms I provided you. Keep me updated.” Kolivan instructed. “Once you reach Zurgal, notify me _immediately_. I will notify the team once you have arrived… And do not worry. I will handle them.”

Lance grinned. “Thank you, Kolivan. Really.” Then, surprising Kolivan, he hugged him briefly. Kolivan raised his eyebrows, dumbfounded by the act, and patted Lance’s back a bit awkwardly. Lance pulled back and added, “It means a lot to me. Seriously. Thank you for trusting me enough to help me with this. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“You are a paladin of Voltron,” Kolivan said. “I do not hesitate to trust you. I only hesitate because it was a question of your safety. I have reason to believe it was the same for the other paladins.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Lance murmured. He exhaled sharply, then, and pulled on his helmet. “Well, here it goes. I better get going.”

Kolivan nodded. “Best of luck, Blue Paladin.”

Lance grinned again, a mixture of excitement and fear rising in his chest. He had never done anything so rebellious since he had joined the team! A part of him felt good about it; maybe once he rebelled, once he succeeded in this mission, they would begin to trust him more on the upcoming missions. 

But he was also shaken with fear.

What if something went wrong? What if Blue got damaged because of him? What if Zurgal was no longer Galran territory? What if it held no leads about Lotor? 

Questions swam in his mind, clouding his focus. He shook his head, climbing onto Blue, and exhaled slowly as he took a seat in the pilot’s chair. Now was not the time to hesitate. Lance was a paladin of Voltron, and paladins were meant to take risks if it meant helping the fight for the greater good.

He closed his eyes, muttering a few prayers under his breath in his mother tongue, and plastered a smile onto his face. 

He was a paladin of Voltron, and he was going to prove it to the team.

“Are you ready, Blue?”

He felt her purr in excitement.

“Let’s do this.”

 

* * *

 

“Where’s Lance?” Hunk asked, walking into the main lounge. Lance had not showed up for either breakfast or lunch earlier that day. It wasn’t unlike him to skip meals when he was feeling down or angered, and Hunk knew that the conversation the previous night must have worn him out. So he had let it go, until it was dinner time, and Lance had _still_ not shown up. 

Keith looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe he’s with Pidge and Matt?”

Hunk shook his head. “They said they haven’t seen him all day. Coran hasn’t, either, and he wasn’t in his room or in the training arena. Shiro, you said you haven’t seen him either, right?” Shiro nodded. “What about you, Allura?”

She shook her head.

Kolivan kept quiet, biting on his lower lip as he watched them.

Lance had arrived on the planet of Zurgal, but had not found the ocean below which Zurgal stood. Once he confirmed to Kolivan that he had submerged beneath the water, then Kolivan could relay the news to the team. He had been hesitant to agree to this, but Lance had _begged_ him not to tell anyone until he got to Zurgal.

And so he waited.

“Uh, Kolivan? Is the water supposed to be like, pitch black?” Lance’s voice came ringing in his private comms. 

He stood up immediately, excusing himself out of the room. Keith’s questioning look did not go unnoticed by him. Once he was out of hearing range, he responded to Lance. “I am not sure. I have never been to Zurgal.”

“I think this is it. There’s one building outside this ocean; it looks like something of a watchtower. It’s also glowing purple at the tip, so I think it’s Galran. You guys love purple.” Lance said. “I mean, you are purple, so it kind of makes sense, but it’s also a bit creepy that you’re so self-obsessed with––okay. Sorry, I’m rambling. This is just a little… scary.”

“You can turn back, Lance. There is no shame in that.”

“No! No, I’m not _that_ scared. I’m just saying it looks creepy, that’s all. The water is pitch black, and the sky is pitch black. There aren’t even any stars that show here. That’s weird. So yeah. No moon or starlight reflecting on the water. Seems fit for a Galra prison, through. You guys are creative with the creepy stuff.”

Kolivan noted the shakiness in the blue paladin’s voice, but he did not comment on it. The boy was trying _so hard_ to be brave, and who was Kolivan to stop him? Kolivan had not known Lance all that well; he spent the majority of his time with Keith and Shiro. Lance surprised him. His determination, his willpower, was that of a true soldier’s, a true _paladin’s_.

“I suppose we are,” he said, playing along with Lance’s nervous thoughts. “Although Zarkon’s prisons are the opposite. He makes the lighting so bright as to stop the prisoners from being able to sleep or rest. Thace often said it also made them feel more disoriented.”

“Huh. I can’t decide which one is worse.” 

Kolivan hummed in agreement.

“Okay. I’m under water.”

Kolivan tensed. “Any immediate reactions?”

“No. It’s just very dark in here. But Blue’s sensors are picking up some thermostats. Maybe that’s the living Galra’s heat signals?”

“That’s possible, yes.”

“Okay. I’m pursuing them now. I’ll notify you if I find anything.”

“Best of luck, paladin. And be careful.”

As soon as the comms clicked off, Kolivan hurried back to the lounge. He stood in the doorway, drawing all eyes to him. After a deep inhale, he announced: “Lance has successfully landed in Zurgal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance DID THAT!!! Did Kolivan do the right thing? What do you guys think?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy x

As soon as the comms clicked off, Kolivan hurried back to the lounge. He stood in the doorway, drawing all eyes to him. After a deep inhale, he announced: “Lance has successfully landed in Zurgal.” 

He was met with silence as the paladins’ eyes widened, taking in the news.

“Kolivan,” Shiro said slowly, rising to a stand. “What have you done?”

Keith followed suit, rushing to stand next to Shiro. He stomped towards Kolivan. “You sent him there? You heard Shiro and Allura––it’s far too dangerous! We want Lotor, but you can’t just _send_ him there all alone, what were you _thinking_?”

“How dare you?” Allura joined.

Kolivan simply exhaled slowly and crossed his arms across his chest. He watched them yell at him in anger, pointing fingers and walking up to his personal space. Shiro’s face was growing red as blood rushed to his cheeks––whether in concern for Lance or in anger Kolivan could not be sure.

“Well, are you going to say anything?” Hunk prompted impatiently. “Or you’re too coward to explain yourself?”

Kolivan shook his head. “It did not feel like you cared to listen to what I have to say. You are quick to jump to yelling and grumbling.” He could see his response aggravated Allura. “In any case, no, I did not send Lance there. Not in the way you think, at least.”

“Then how, huh?” Hunk pressed.

“He begged me to help him go.” Kolivan explained. “He came seeking my help. I refused, telling him the mission would be far too risky for him to go on his own. But he was determined, and I respected his ambition. This mission is important to him, and I believe he has the capability to succeed in it.”

Shiro pushed against his shoulder roughly, throwing Kolivan a step backwards. His eyebrows were furrowed, pinching together as he glared up at the Galran man. “You have to bring him back. This is ridiculous––he’s going to get _hurt_. You are in _no_ position to decide what to do with my team. The mission may be important to Lance, but he doesn’t see the danger he’s facing. You should have knocked some sense into him!”

A growl formed in Kolivan’s throat. “Watch who you’re talking to, Paladin,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not one of the children on your team.”

Shiro did not reply, but he did not back away. Instead, he continued to glare at the Galran.

“You wish for me to have ‘knocked some sense into him’?” Kolivan mused. “The boy may have been right about you, after all.In which case I do not feel an ounce of regret helping him travel to Zurgal.”

“And what was he right about, exactly?”

“You are not his team.” Kolivan surmised. “And you do not see him as a fellow paladin.”

“Nonsense,” Allura hissed.

“Is it?” Kolivan challenged.

“You actually believed that dramatic monologue he had?” Keith asked in disbelief.

Shiro straightened his posture, taking a step away from Kolivan. He looked at Allura, then Keith and Hunk, and back to Kolivan. Lance had snuck off to Zurgal. The boy, only seventeen years of age, had left behind the team’s back to find and possibly _kill_ the powerful Galran prince. Alone. In a harsh environment that he was not even certain he could survive.

Shiro’s stomach churned as he felt a sudden rush of nausea.

Lance always listened to orders. He may be the most talkative of the team, seemingly the least serious, but he was right: he always took his missions seriously. Of all the team members, he had been the only one that had _never_ gone against Shiro’s direct orders or questioned them. He had never demanded to go on any specific missions or trips. 

To have gone to _Zurgal_ on his _own_? 

This was about more than the mission.

_And I guess I thought_ I _was the team’s sharp shooter, but I guess no one else thinks that._

_Maybe I don’t_ have _a thing._

_I mean they wouldn’t keep me on the team if I didn’t contribute in some way, would they?_

_Maybe I’m just a fifth wheel. Seventh if you count Coran and Allura. That’s a terrible wheel to be._

Shiro’s eyes widened.

The comms had been activated back on that Galran base, when they had gone to findand retrieve Slav. Shiro had heard Lance’s conversation with Yupper (Lance’s nickname for the Galran pet), but it had escaped his memory after their return. He’d supplied Lance with a quick “That’s why we bring the team’s sharp shooter”, but had…. forgotten about it afterwards.

He’d _forgotten_ about it.

_“I mean they wouldn’t keep me on the team if I didn’t contribute in some way, would they?_ ” Lance had asked. Was this what it was all about? Did Lance think that because he was not getting called for a few missions, then they no longer wanted to keep him on the team?

He was trying to prove that he could contribute to the team.

And wasn’t this the perfect mission to showcase that he had a _thing_ like the remainder of the team? To prove that his love for the ocean and Blue’s connection to the water would make him the best candidate for the mission?

Shiro’s heart clenched.

“Shiro? Are you okay?”

Shiro looked up at the sound of Coran’s voice, surprised to see that the man had entered the room. When had he joined them? 

“You seem a little pale. You should sit down.” Hunk supplied, placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder and guiding him back to the couch. Shiro followed him wordlessly, taking a seat as assigned by Hunk.

“I…” He murmured. “I shouldn’t have spoken to Lance like that yesterday.”

“Why? So you could have helped him fly off onto this one-way trip?” Keith asked. His voice held no venom, and the shakiness in it did not escape Shiro. 

One-way trip.

“Don’t say that,” Shiro said abruptly. “It’s not going to be a one-way trip.”

Keith snapped his mouth shut. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

Shiro exhaled, shaking his head. “This is messy. Kolivan is right; Lance doesn’t feel like he’s part of the team. He must have thought that somehow going on this mission would validate his position as a paladin. I haven’t been calling him for a main spot in some of our missions, and he must have thought that I no longer wanted him as part of the team. Or that I didn’t trust him.”

Everyone grew quiet. Allura seemed puzzled.

“And why _did_ you not assign him a role in those missions?” Kolivan asked, a hint of a challenge in his voice. “Surely it was not a question of safety when you brought the entire team but him.”

Shiro looked up at Kolivan, and opened his mouth, trying to explain himself.

No words came out.

Why _had_ he not called Lance to the past few missions?

_It’s not that I didn’t trust him_ , he thought. _I always trust Lance to have my back._

Still not a good enough explanation.

“Well?” Kolivan pressed, raising an eyebrow. “If you cannot answer that question, then the boy was right in his assumptions. He knew you no longer trusted him. But to ease your mind, I did not help him go to Zurgal to regain your trust.” 

Shiro looked at him in question.

“I only helped him because I saw that you were holding him back from his true purpose. He did not wish to travel to validate himself in your eyes. At least, that was not his primary goal. All he wanted was to prove to himself that he was worthy of being a paladin. That he was doing all he could to save people. I respected that.”

“Well, he’s obviously a paladin.” Keith said, baffled. “He’s an idiot if he can’t see that. We always work together in fights. He’s got my back, I’ve got his. He always makes the mood lighter, even if it gets annoying at times. That’s what he _does_ , it’s what makes him part of the team. Why wouldn’t he think he’s worthy of being a paladin?”

Kolivan studied him slowly. “You truly do not know,” he realized. “I have not known Lance for very long, and I certainly still do not know him very well, but I can assure you that _anyone_ would need to be reassured and appreciated. I was guilty of ordering my men around all too often while forgetting to thank them at the end of the day. Until one of my men turned himself to Zarkon because he felt that our movement did not include him and revealed the whereabouts of our hideout. Had it not been for Thace notifying us of the news, we would have been killed immediately. It was my fault. I expected them to follow me and Ulas and the other leaders, listening to our commands and blindly believing in us. But they needed to see their own purpose, to find their own future within the movement. Otherwise, they would have no reason to remain.”

Shiro’s eyes dulled, and his lids drooped heavily. 

Kolivan was right. 

The paladins had been brought to the castle against their will. They had been assigned the lions despite not giving their direct consent. They had been trained, they had fought. They had not been allowed to visit their homes or their families. 

They fought for the universe. But more than that, they fought for Allura. They fought for _Shiro_. They could have backed away at any time, but they didn’t. They were dedicated young adults, and they had pulled through with such strength… 

“Lance has finally understood his position in Voltron.” Kolivan continued, drawing Shiro’s attention. “He has finally grasped the truth path he is taking.”

Hunk gulped slowly and licked his suddenly dry lips. “And what’s that?”

“As he said it himself… _I would rather die risking my life for Voltron and the fight against Zarkon than live a hundred years as a useless paladin_. He has come to realize this is not a battle which can be won immediately. It is not a battle after which he can easily return home and resume his regular life. Much like the Galra rebels, you paladins have dedicated your lives to fighting. We no longer prioritize our individual lives; rather, we prioritize our purpose as a whole.”

Shiro hunched forward, his head falling between his arms. He shut his eyes.

_I would rather die risking my life for Voltron and the fight against Zarkon than live a hundred years as a useless paladin._

A harsh reality for a seventeen year old to come to.

And Shiro had not helped him cope with it.

Certainly not like he helped Keith and Pidge. He had helped even Hunk more, seeing as the yellow paladin was less hesitant to voice his fears and speak his thoughts aloud. 

Lance didn’t. Lance kept his insecurities, his fears, to himself. 

_He was afraid of getting judged_ , Shiro thought, mentally berating himself. _Why wouldn’t he? We get angry with him for everything he does. If he so much as cracks a joke when he’s growing nervous, he will have at least two people telling him to knock it off and to focus on the mission at hand._

But Shiro… well, he was no trained psychiatrist.

He didn’t _know_ how to talk to someone like Lance. Someone who made it so easy to forget that he was hurting, someone who so deftly hid their emotions behind a happy as to not bring attention to himself. Lance hid behind a mask of jokes and endless talking, and the entire team _knew_ that. But what they did not know was how to approach him, how to get him to talk about it, when he always wanted to pretend to be alright.

Not that Shiro was blaming him––of he course he wasn’t. He was simply trying to reason why he had not discussed any of this with Lance any earlier.

“That doesn’t mean he gets to just––just fly off to Zurgal! Just because he’s brave enough to face the risks doesn’t make it _right_.” Keith insisted, eyes widening with concern. “Kolivan, please tell him to come back. We have to figure out a plan.”

“No.” Shiro said weakly. “No. He _is_ a paladin of Voltron, and he _is_ the most equipped to do this mission. He deserves this, Keith. He has a right to refuse to be a backup paladin. We shouldn’t call him back, not after he’s left. It will only make it worse.”

“Then what?” Hunk asked in a small voice. “We just let him do this?”

Shiro inhaled slowly, then shared a look with Allura. “We accept that he’s made the decision, and we work with it. This time, we will be his backup.”

Kolivan smiled. 

 

* * *

 

“Oh, God, you told them?” Lance asked as soon as Kolivan’s signal came online on the private comms. “Tell them that I’m not going back. I’ve already reached Zurgal. Like, the actual place. I followed the heat signals, and I saw a few worn-out Galra digging into the ground with their bare hands. So I’m guessing they’re the Galra slave-prisoners. Also, Blue and I threw that can of mapping smoke near what I believed was an entrance of some sorts, and I’m waiting for it to return the results. I forgot what you called it, so I named it mapping smoke. You know, because it’s smoke that maps out the hallways of the place you throw it into?”

“Good work, Paladin! How is Blue holding up?”

“Coran?”

“The one and only. You seem to be handling the mission extremely well.”

“Uh, I am. Thanks. And, uh, Blue is doing really well, actually. She feels cozy in this temperature of water. The acidity hasn’t affected her yet. Hopefully it doesn’t affect her at all.”

“That’s very good to hear.” Came Shiro’s voice.

Lance stiffened.

“What are you doing right now?” Shiro continued. He sounded oddly calm.

“I…. I’m not doing much right now, just waiting for the mapping to come back.”

“Keep us updated.” Shiro said. Then, more gently, he added: “And be careful.”

“Okay.” Lance replied in a small voice, puzzled.

_Is he not angry with me_? He thought. _I thought he would give me a lecture_.

On the other end, Shiro was thinking: _When he comes back, he’s due for a long lecture_. _Not just because he snuck out and went on one of the most dangerous missions we’ve been on yet, but because he deserves to know how much we value him as both a friend and a team member._

_As family._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all your comments on previous chapters. Your comments mean a lot to me and seriously encourage me to write more (and they certainly give me a sense of direction for the story). If you liked (or disliked) the chapter, don't forget to leave a comment if you can! xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance begins his mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update has been late, I'm sorry! School has kept me busy. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Just make note, that whenever I have a whole sentence italicized, it usually means it's Lance's thoughts. Also–-I don't speak Spanish. If Google Translate failed me, please let me know!

“I’m going in,” Lance announced through the comms, grabbing everyone’s attention. “The mapping results are back, and it seems to be a pretty big building.”

“Similar layout to Zarkon’s ships?” Keith asked.

Lance mulled it over. “Actually, no. It’s the opposite. Zarkon’s ships have a lot of hallways and are generally very closed up. This seems to have an open layout. The hallways are large, and not very branched. It’s going to be fun trying to sneak around without a lot of corners to hide behind.”

Shiro frowned. “Be careful.”

“I will be.” Lance promised. He pressed a button on his helmet, which caused it to fully close up and prepare his breathing for under-water conditions. Next, he grabbed a belt that held several more useful weapons and a ration bar. “Okay. I’m going in. I might not be able to talk on here too often if I want to stay quiet, so don’t get too worried if I don’t answer right away––”

“Just leave the comms on?” Shiro suggested. “That way we can hear your surroundings, at least?”

Lance exhaled slowly, his grip around the bayard tightening. Since when did someone have to leave their comms on _during_ a mission? Shiro was worried. Lance could see that, could understand it. But Lance wasn’t a _child_ , and––and if Kolivan hadn’t notified the rest of the team, this would have been much easier. Keith and Shiro never left their comms on when they visited the Blade of Marmara base. Hell, they didn’t even _respond_ to their comms. Allura and Keith, on their escape, only turned on their comms when they wanted to contact the team. They did not leave it on while they babbled about whatever it was they discussed. 

“I’ll keep you updated,” he said instead, and turned off the comms.

He sighed.

“Okay, Blue. You stay here, girl, okay? And if I shout for your help, please come save my ass.” He told his lion, petting the control panel. “Hope this works out. If something goes wrong, I’m done for. In every definition of the word.”

He could feel a reassuring, robotic purr sound in his head.

“Thank you, love.” He said with a soft chuckle. “Now, off to find Lotor.”

 

* * *

 

Shiro cursed under his breath. “Why did he turn the comms off?”

“It’s not common for us to keep them on,” Pidge noted.

“He’s down there _alone_ , Pidge! Under dangerous, acidic, black water! In Galra land!” Shiro exclaimed in rising panic. “The least he could do is––”

“Shiro! Shiro, calm down.” Hunk interrupted. “You heard what Kolivan said. Lance needs this. He wants to prove that he can do this mission, and I know that he _will_. We don’t have to baby him. You know when the youngest kid is off to college, and the parents act extra worried about them because they’re the youngest and they find it harder to accept that they’re all grown up and independent?” Shiro nodded, puzzled. “Yeah. You don’t have to treat Lance like that.”

Keith scoffed. “Shiro is right. Lance wants to prove himself, sure, I get it. But this isn’t a joke. He’s already disobeyed direct orders and went on this mission against both Allura and Shiro’s wishes. It’s bad enough. He should cooperate.”

“Can you _stop_ talking about him like this?” Hunk exclaimed in aggravation. “You always talk about him like he’s––like he’s just a total idiot who doesn’t care about the team. _Always_. Can you, like, for once, just step back and talk about him a bit more respectfully?”

Coran and Allura exchanged looks. Why were the paladins suddenly arguing about this?

“I just––” Keith began defensively, before pausing and exhaling slowly. “I’m just worried about him.” His eyes lowered to the ground, and he shifted on his feet. To Hunk’s surprise, Keith _sniffed_. “I just feel like if we… If _I_ … had been nicer to him, then he wouldn’t have wanted to try so hard to go out and prove himself, to he think that he _needs_ to. We all know he’s a great paladin. I didn’t realize that _he_ didn’t. And now he’s out on this mission to locate and possibly _kill_ _Lotor_? Alone? And…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Hunk’s shoulders dropped. 

“Paladins, I understand this is a time of great stress for all of us,” Coran said softly. “But what’s done is done. Lance is out there now, and what he needs is for us to be alert and ready in case he needs us.” He put a hand on Keith’s shoulders. “I had a friend like you back in Altea. He had a good heart, but he had a really bad way with words sometimes.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Uh… Thanks? I guess?”

Hunk smiled softly.

 

* * *

 

Lance kept his bayard close to his chest as he slipped into the building. Whatever liquid this ocean was composed of felt much more dense than regular water, thus requiring more effort to swim through. In fact, Lance found himself sinking to the ground often, and he would have to push against it to bounce back up. 

Unsurprisingly, the main entrance hallway was not clear of fluid. It was quiet, however, and Lance managed to push through it relatively swiftly. Had this been a Zarkon base, he would have surely ran into some droids by now. 

_Well, glad it’s just Lotor’s base, I guess_. He thought.

Shuffling sounded nearby, and Lance froze.

_Guess I should have knocked on some wood. Damn it._

He turned around, looking for a place to hide. He was in an open hallway. The nearest corner ahead was where the noise seemed to be coming from. Lance bit down against his bottom lip, considering what to do next.

He looked up at the ceiling, and found what resembled… small monkey bars? It was a horizontal, ceiling ladder of some sort. Inhaling deeply, Lance bent his knees and pushed hard against the ground, hoping it would be enough to swiftly drive him up to the ladder. His hands caught onto one of the bars, and he pulled himself up, reaching for the next bar with his feet. 

_I should have done more pull-ups back at the castle. My abs aren’t strong enough for this_ , he thought, letting out an annoyed huff. His feet dropped, and he mustered whatever abdominal muscle strength he had and pulled his legs up with as much force as he could. His feet rested on the bar, and he let out a sigh of relief.

A few seconds later, however, his body began to shake from the effort. Doing cool shit like this looked much, much easier in movies. And when Shiro did it. 

_Really, really ought to spend more time in those training decks with the man. No wonder he’s so strong_.

The shuffling grew louder, and it was soon accompanied with a voice. Scratch that, _two_ voices. Well, shit. Lance could only hope that both of them would be oblivious to a human gripping onto their ceiling bars.

They turned around the corner, finally coming into view. Galra men. They wore no clothing, save for a wide piece of purple fabric tied around their waistline to cover their private parts. ( _Did Galra even have private parts?_ Lance thought). The two men appeared tall, with a build much like that of Kolivan’s. 

And they were… walking. Just walking, as though they weren’t underwater. They also wore no masks, nothing to stop the water from entering their airways.

How were they breathing?

Lance inhaled a big gulp of air, then shut his mouth to stop a grunt from sounding. His muscles were beginning to hurt from the contractions, but he forced himself to stay upright. Last thing he needed was to be caught before he even made it past the main entrance.

“So Arnul told her he loved her,” the shorter Galra was saying. “And she smacked him with the golgren bat.”

“The _golgren_ bat? That must have hurt,” the other one mused. “And then what?”

Eventually, they made it out of the damned hallway, and Lance allowed himself to fall back to the ground. He landed on one knee ( _ha_ , _superhero landing!_ ) and bounced right back up. His body was beginning to adjust to the gravity and density of the place, so Lance was able to push ahead much faster this time. 

He studied the map the device had created as he navigated the hallways. So far, they all appeared to be… empty. No doors, no exits. Just hallways turning into hallways. 

Lance felt like he was missing something.

Still, he pushed on. He would have to find something eventually, right?

“You!”

Lance froze.

“Who are you?” The deep voice thundered. Loud steps sounded, and they were getting nearer. “What brings you here?”

Lance turned around slowly, and gulped loudly when he was faced with a Galra man. Like the previous two men, he was not clad in armour. He was built like a soldier, however. 

“Uh… Hello, there. I’ve actually come to speak to Prince Lotor.” Lance attempted, straightening his posture and gripping tightly onto his bayard.

The Galra man narrowed his eyes. “What business do _you_ have with the prince?”

Aha. So Lotor _did_ in fact reside here.

That was good to know.

“Haggar sent me,” he said slowly. “She said that Lord Zarkon… Wished to have his son by his side once again. He was… hurt, badly, in his latest trip. They believe Prince Lotor and his council is needed.”

_Please work._

_Please work._

_Pleeease work._

“Lord Zarkon, you say? How do I believe you?”

“How else would I have known to seek the prince out here? It’s not exactly common knowledge that he lives here.” Lance reasoned.

The Galran scratched his head, then shrugged. “Guess so.”

“Can you… help me get to him?”

“Ya. Sure. Follow me.”

Lance grinned. He was being escorted to Lotor by one of his own dumbass soldiers. Or were they slaves? Citizens? Who knew. It felt too good to be true.

_It probably is_ , he thought bitterly. _For all I know, he could be leading me right into a trap_.

He needed to let the team know, at least, that Lotor’s whereabouts were confirmed.

No one in the team spoke fluent Spanish, but Matt and Pidge said they knew a few words. If Lance relayed a simple message to them, then hopefully they would be able to pick it up. His eyes frantically spanning his surroundings, he moved his hand up to his helmet, turning the comms on. 

“No puedo hablar,” he sung loudly. “Pidge? No puedo hablar en Inglés. El príncipe está aquí. Voy a conocerlo.” He could hear the team scrambling to understand. “Repetir, el príncipe está aquí. Confirmado. Voy a conocerlo.”

_I can’t speak. Pidge? I can’t speak in English. The prince is here. I am going to meet him. Repeat. The prince is here. Confirmed. I am going to meet him._

“Okay, Lance. Got it.” Matt reassured him.

Lance breathed out a sigh of relief, and turned off his comms.

The Galran turned around, narrowing his eyes. “Who are you talking to?”

“Huh?” Lance asked innocently. “I was just singing. It’s a song from my home planet. To pass the time, you know?”

The Galran man shrugged, and continued walking.

 

* * *

 

“He’s going to meet Lotor,” Matt explained. “He said he can’t speak in English, but Lotor was there, confirmed, and he was going to meet him.”

“Why can’t he speak in English?” Allura questioned.

“Probably with someone,” Pidge suggested. Her left leg began to shake as she ran a hand through her hair. “This is it? He’s going to meet Lotor. It feels too easy.”

Shiro nodded. “What if it’s a trap?”

“What if it’s not?”

“What if Lotor isn’t even there?”

“What if––”

“Enough!” Allura shouted, bringing everyone else to silence. “We can’t be sure of whether or not it’s a trap. But what we can do is get ready. We need to go to that planet and stay ready in case he needs us for immediate backup. Everyone, to your lions!”

 

* * *

 

Lotor was…. surprisingly skinny?

Lance hadn’t seen a skinny Galra before. Well, Keith didn’t count. But Lotor looked odd. He had sleek, white hair, which travelled down to his shoulder blades. His nose was pointy, and his chin was oddly triangular, jutting out proudly. He pretty much looked like a Thranduil-wannabe. Or maybe he was going for a Lucius Malfoy look?

Lance probably shouldn’t have been thinking about that while he was forced to bow before the great Galran prince. But, well, he couldn’t help it. Lotor looked seriously creepy. Of all Galra, _this_ would be Zarkon’s son? 

Lotor furrowed his eyebrows. “And who might you be? What planet do you come from?”

Lance gulped. Did Lotor not recognize the paladin armour, or was he playing oblivious?

Should Lance play along?

“I am Lance McClain, of Planet Earth.”

“Of planet Earth? What brings you here?”

_Take the shot, Lance._ He thought, his heart beating erratically. 

_Take the shot._

It was too risky to play this game.

But if he killed the Prince, he would not be able to get out.

_Your life, or the lives of billions across different galaxies?_

“I…” He reached for his bayard, eyeing the two Galra guards standing next to the prince. The Galra who had escorted him here stood close behind. “I came to deliver a message.”

Lotor raised an eyebrow. “Take off that helmet.” He ordered.

Lance paused, surprised by the order. His helmet? Why would he be ordered to take it off? He shook his head, chuckling nervously. “Uh, no, I kind of need it to––”

The orders were not directed at him. They were directed at the Galran who had escorted him, it seemed, because before Lance had a chance to even explain himself, his helmet was pulled off his head. 

“–– _breathe!_ ” He finished, inhaling a large mouthful of the fluid.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He met Lotor! 
> 
> I am really curious as to what you guys would like to see next!! I have two things in mind, but one of them is a little more like what Keith would do than Lance (aka taking the shot, whereas I want Lance to be heroic here and to use his cunning skills to play Lotor for a while). What do you think?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds out some interesting things about Lotor.

“I…” He reached for his bayard, eyeing the two Galra guards standing next to the prince. The Galra who had escorted him here stood close behind. “I came to deliver a message.”

Lotor raised an eyebrow. “Take off that helmet.” He ordered.

Lance paused, surprised by the order. His helmet? Why would he be ordered to take it off? He shook his head, chuckling nervously. “Uh, no, I kind of need it to––”

The orders were not directed at him. They were directed at the Galran who had escorted him, it seemed, because before Lance had a chance to even explain himself, his helmet was pulled off his head. 

“–– _breathe!_ ” He finished, inhaling a large mouthful of the fluid.

Lotor simply smiled, crossing his arms as he watched Lance flail in his position. “You can breathe,” he said slowly, “if you stop squirming like a dying roach.”

Lance’s eyes widened. He tried to cough out the fluid, but there was no escaping it.

“Lance,” Lotor repeated. “That was your name, correct? Breathe as you normally would.” He sounded amused.

Lance focused on his breathing. _Breathe as you normally would._ He forced himself to calm down, and tightened his fists at his sides. Recalling some of the breathing techniques from his yoga class, he straightened his back and curled his toes upwards, inhaling in a deep breath.

_Here goes nothing_. 

The fluid entered his airways, and it was an _odd_ feeling. He resisted the urge to cough it out, and focused on breathing. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. 

His eyes had closed shut sometime during the process, and he peeled them open once more. He was breathing. Under water.

“How?” He asked in a mumble. He was still a little afraid to open his mouth fully.

“It is a fluid that we can breathe.” Lotor explained. “How else would we be standing here without helmets?” He shrugged. “Perhaps I should have explained that to you prior to prying off your breathing supply. But I assure you, it will get stuffy in that helmet after a while. Not to mention that the temperature of this fluid will cause it to fog up. It’s a nuisance.”

Lance nodded, still shaken up. “I didn’t know that.”

Lotor ran a hand through his hair, and walked down the steps of the podium towards where Lance stood. He took Lance’s helmet from the Galran man and handed it back to Lance. “Forgive me. I haven’t interacted with mindful beings in years. Almost forgot how to have a proper conversation.” He threw a look at his Galran men. “I don’t mean to offend you, but it is the truth.”

Lance looked to Lotor, then to his men, and back to the prince. He was growing puzzled. Lotor sounded like a spoiled, bossy brat who had been living alone with his slaves for thousands of years, and was a little too excited to finally meet someone new.

Which, well, he was.

But Lance had expected a strong, raspy-voiced prince, shaking the ground on which he stood. A terrifying creature, resembling his own father Zarkon. 

Change of plan. 

Lance could work with this guy. For a while, at least. Maybe get some information out of him. 

“So, tell me,” Lotor said, throwing an arm over Lance’s shoulder and leading him to the door as he walked in long, graceful steps. “What brings you here? You said you have a message. Please tell me my father does not know of my whereabouts.”

“Your father,” Lance said slowly, glancing back at the Galran who had led him to Lotor. They were far enough that he shouldn’t hear them. “No, he doesn’t. At least, not yet, I don’t think. Why, has someone told you otherwise?”

“No. No one tells me anything.” Lotor admitted as they stepped out into the hallway. “For all I know, my father could be bringing an army of his soldiers to tear this place down and I’ll only find out after they’ve slit my throat.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. Okay. Interesting.

So Zarkon _didn’t_ know that Lotor lived here? 

“How have you avoided your father for so long?” Lance asked. “I mean, how have you kept your location secret for so many years?” 

Lotor shrugged. “He never really came looking. And I’ve been in and out of this place. Can’t survive in this environment for more than, oh, three rotations? We may be able to breathe this fluid, but over time it begins to affect our insides. You start to feel like your body is burning from the inside out. So I take a break, travel to a few malls, try to keep my identity hidden, and come back.”

“Oh, wow.” Lance mused. Lotor was… surprisingly chatty. And open. It was almost too easy to get him to talk. 

What if he had already been contacted by Haggar and was told the paladins would come? Was this why he was saying that Zarkon didn’t know of his whereabouts?

“Well, I came here to tell you that your father is looking for you,” Lance said slowly. He could play his game. Lotor could play his. When it came down to it… Lance would be ready to pull the trigger.

Wouldn’t he?

He was no Keith, but he could act in the heat of the moment if the situation called for it.

Lotor stopped in his tracks. “Father is seeking me? Whatever for?”

“He needs your help, supposedly.”

Lotor snorted. “He can shove a pringly baet up his…. my _help_? He needs my help now? What, is he on his deathbed suddenly?”

Lance almost wanted to ask what a pringly baet was, but decided that he probably didn’t really need to know. “I take it you two haven’t been on the greatest terms.”

Lotor exhaled slowly, dropping his arm off Lance’s shoulder and resuming his walk. Lance followed him closely. “That would be quite the understatement. I told him he would need my help. Told him that I could, and should, lead parts of his army. But he believed that he would never require my help, that I was more of a nuisance.”

“How come?”

“Well, I wanted to do things differently. I hated working with his witches, for starters. They give me the chills. I’m used to Alteans being creatures of beauty, but those witches? They’re terrifying. Have you seen one up close? Horrific. And his droids. Poorly designed.” Lotor explained in his high-pitched voice. “And, you know, killing Alteans wasn’t exactly the greatest idea. They were our best allies. We were practically family, and he wanted to kill them. To wipe them out. I didn’t want my soldiers joining that fight, so he sent me away.”

Lance could only gape at the Galran prince. 

“What if I told you that he needs your help to wipe out the remaining Alteans?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lotor stilled, coming to a halt so swiftly that Lance nearly ran into him. He turned around, facing Lance. His eyes were wide, filled with awe and disbelief. “Alteans still live?”

“Well, not many.” Lance replied. “Two, to be exact. Along with the creepy witches, but I didn’t even know they were Altean until you mentioned it. You ever heard of Princess Allura?”

“Daughter of King Alfor?” 

“Yeah.”

Lotor let out a soft exhale, dropping his gaze to the ground. “Princess Allura. She lives. All those years, I thought… I thought she had been killed. In Father’s raid.”

“You know her?”

“Of course.” Lotor answered, a smile forming on his face. “We were children, her and I… our fathers worked together. They created the lions of Voltron. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them but… my father was the paladin of the black lion. Alfor trusted him greatly. Allura and I would watch them work and we would fight over whose father was the better man. Deep down I knew Alfor would always win that battle, but I continued to argue my father’s side. She… she grew up to be a powerful, young princess. I thought she was dead. Where has she been hiding, all those years?”

Lance studied him carefully. 

The man sounded really, really honest. If it hadn’t been enough to tell by the sudden gentleness that laced his voice, then the glassy eyes and the tears welling up in his ducts were more than convincing.

Allura hadn’t told them any of this.

_She’s been keeping some very critical points secret_ , Lance thought in aggravation. _Like when she pointedly left out the fact that Zarkon was the black paladin._

“She wasn’t hiding,” Lance said slowly. “She was unconscious. Alfor had hid her in a pod to keep her safe.” He pursed his lips, and reached out to gingerly place a hand on Lotor’s shoulder. “Look, Lotor. I really want to trust you. But how do I know you’re not just saying this to make yourself look innocent?”

_Get to the point,_ he thought.

“I have been rotting away in this forsaken place for thousands of years,” Lotor said, his voice wavering. “And I never once regretted standing in my father’s way when he wanted to attack Altea. If I had, I would have been back by his side long ago, helping him take down more of those innocent planets that he’s invading. I chose to stay here, to supposedly command those prisoners, to spend my time _alone_. I chose to give up my armies, my power. I chose not to help my father because I did not agree with him. I idolized him, once, when he was the black paladin. When he fought to keep the universe safe. But no longer. I could not stay by his side while he, and those evil Altean witches, tore planets apart.”

_Allura never mentioned that those witches were Altean, either_. Lance thought. _She was angry with Keith for weeks when she found out he was half Galra because the Galran race was all evil.And then turns out the ones giving Zarkon all his power are Alteans_?

Lotor had a point.

“Why did you never fight him? Form a rebellion?” Lance asked. 

“Thousands of years ago,” Lotor said, “I joined a cult named the Blade of Marmora. They were rebels, determined to take down my father. I joined when they first formed, and I kept my identity secret. I was someone who wanted to stop Zarkon, and that was all they needed to know. I fought by their side for years, but when they learned of my identity, they banished me. They thought I was a traitor. That I was spying on them for Zarkon.”

Well, Kolivan hadn’t mentioned that either.

Lance was growing aggravated.

Those were pretty important facts to leave out.

Had Lance shot Lotor on the spot… he would have killed him before learning any of this.

“They never mentioned this happening,” Lance commented.

Lotor’s eyes widened. “They still exist?”

“I… Yes.” 

Lotor smiled sadly. “Zarkon found out about them at some point. A few hundred years after I was banished. One of the prisoners who was sent here said that they had all been wiped away, killed by Zarkon’s forces. Their children must have persevered.”

_So maybe Kolivan never had the chance to hear about this_ , Lance thought briskly. _Fair enough_.

Unless Lotor was making it all up to make his story sound more believable.

_Ugh. This is_ not _what I was expecting_.

“You haven’t told me yet. Who has sent you? How did you know of my whereabouts?”

Lance inhaled slowly.

“Allura. Allura sent me to find you.” He said. “We need your help.”

Lotor’s eyes lit up, and his smile widened. “The princess seeks my help?”

Lance’s eyes hardened. “Think you’ll be able to help Voltron take your father down?”

Realization dawn on Lotor’s face. “You’re a paladin of Voltron,” he noted in awe. “Your armour… it looked familiar, but it does not exactly resemble how my father’s once looked. I didn’t think you were a paladin.”

Lance felt pride well up in his chest.

Yes, he was a paladin.

And he had just recruited Zarkon’s only remaining weapon to their side.

He extended a hand out. Lotor took it, shaking it with excitement.

“It is my honour to help you, Paladin.” 

Lance smiled.

Before he could respond, a loud crash sounded somewhere to their left. 

Lance immediately activated his comms.

“Lance!” 

“LANCE!”

“Do you copy, Lance?!”

“Lance, we’re here!”

He inhaled through his nose, shutting his eyes tightly. He turned to Lotor. “I guess the team’s here.” He informed him. “And they don’t know how to enter politely.”

Lotor beamed at him. “Let us go greet them!”

“Uh… Yeah. Let’s.”

Lance followed Lotor as he navigated the hallways. The team wasn’t supposed to be here. Why had they come? He hadn’t called for backup. He hadn’t sent a distress signal. They should have waited until he could explain the situation, and the new change of plans, to them. They should have _waited_ until he asked them to come. 

They should have trusted him.

He grit his teeth. “Why are you guys here?”

“You weren’t answering. Blue’s signal was growing weaker. We thought you could use the backup.”

“I was doing _fine_.” He snapped. “Just––don’t do anything stupid, okay? I have some stuff to explain before you say anything to fuck it all up.”

“Lance, watch your language,” Shiro said.

Lance exhaled sharply. Who cared about his damn language right now?

If the team said anything against Lotor, his whole plan would be ruined. Whatever trust he had built with Lotor, whatever hopes he had given the Galran prince, would be destroyed. 

So he prayed, with whatever faith remained, that they would not say anything stupid.

It was too much to hope for, of course, because as soon as he pushed past Lotor to greet his teammates by the main entrance, they began to spew out _dumb ass questions_.

“Lance! Are you okay?”

“Why did you turn off your comms?”

“We were so worried!”

“Are you hurt?”

And, as Lotor walked out to greet them with his stupid, big smile, Allura asked: “Have you taken down Lotor?”

Lotor’s smile disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I want to clarify that this Lotor is not exactly based on his canon persona. He's probably nothing like the Lotor we will see in season 3. For the sake of this fic, I've decided to make him a sassy lonely prince who is as eager to help as a little puppy. This is NOT a Lance/Lotor fic, but I will have some Lance & Lotor friendship––again, for the sake of this and for the sake of langst. I am not promoting Lance being friends with the canon abusive Lotor from the original series. This is an ooc, if you will, Lotor, to facilitate the plot.
> 
> In any case, I hope you guys liked the chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's plan to recruit Lotor is sabotaged when the paladins refuse to let him explain and jump to conclusions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter update at 2 a.m. living the life, lol. It's been so long since I updated, but life has been busy and I was stuck with this story. Hopefully with this update and with what feedback you guys provide me with, I can move on with it!

As Lotor walked out to greet them with his stupid, big smile, Allura asked: “Have you taken down Lotor?”

Lotor’s smile disappeared.

He turned to look at Lance, puzzled.

The anger in Lance’s eyes puzzled him even more.

“Why,” Lance asked in a low, hoarse voice, “did you come? I told you I would speak to Lotor and relay your message. We were doing _fine_ ,” he said pointedly. “You didn’t need to come bursting in and alerting the prince like that.”

Allura and Coran exchanged glances. They couldn’t see Lotor from where they were situated, and so, Lance’s plan was not apparent to them. Allura began to grow irritated; why was Lance addressing her in such a demeaning manner? 

“What message?” Allura ground out. “Lance, what on Altea are you _doing_? Where is the prince? Have you taken him down or not?”

Lance inhaled slowly. He shut his eyes, trying to focus. When he opened them again, he glanced at Lotor and forced a smile onto his face. “Yes, Princess Allura. I’ve taken Prince Lotor down as a new member of our team. He’s accepted to join us.”

“Something is not right,” Allura whispered to Coran. “Do you think Lotor’s played games with his mind? Is he trying to use Lance to get on the castle?”

Coran studied her carefully. “I’m not sure.”

“Lance, where is your helmet?” Hunk suddenly asked with growing panic. “How are you breathing?”

“The water down here is breathable.” Lance answered, patiently. “As Prince Lotor himself explained to me. We’re safe to breathe it in for a while before it starts to grow poisonous.”

“That’s enough,” Allura snapped, loud enough that everyone could hear her message. “Paladins, bring Lance back. I think he’s under the control of some magic that the prince must have placed––”

“You can’t be serious––” Lance breathed out.

Lotor’s eyes widened. “I don’t understand,” he began, shaking his head. He stepped forward, approaching Lance, and Lance put up a hand.

“Wait. This is not what you think it is,” Lance whispered. “They just… they just don’t… they won’t let me explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Lance!”

Lance’s gaze snapped to Keith, who was diving towards him. 

“Lance, snap out of it!”

Lance’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I’m perfectly coherent, Keith. _You_ snap out of it. All of you. This was a mission for the _blue_ paladin, and you just had to come here and ruin everything––”

“What’s going on?” Lotor asked, his voice beginning to grow shaky. “Should I be concerned? Should I call for guards?”

“No! No, don’t call for any guards. Keith, back _off_!” Lance exclaimed, pushing away Keith once he reached him and attempted to grab his arm. 

Keith stiffened at the sight of Lotor.

His gaze travelled between the Galran prince and the blue paladin. 

“Lance, your mission was to take down Lotor.” Keith said, pulling out his bayard. “You wanted to prove yourself as a paladin, we let you have this, but you––”

With a swift movement, Keith had summoned his sword and was lunging at a stunned Lotor. Lance rushed after him, wrapping both arms around Keith’s shoulders and pulling him back with as much strength as he could muster. Keith struggled, pushing back against Lance, but Lance would not let go.

“You _won’t_ kill him. I won’t let you.” Lance seethed. “Drop it, Keith! God, why can’t you all just _listen_ for once?”

“You were sent to _kill_ me?” Lotor asked, venom rising in his voice. His shoulders began to shake. “You––you do not––Why would you want to _kill_ me? I haven’t caused you any harm, I… You tracked me down to kill me? Why did you tell me that the princess had called for my assistance?”

Lance wanted to scream.

“Look, I _was_ , but then I realized you were not what we took you to be and I thought––”

“You thought you could use me before my own father could!”

“I thought this would be a mutually beneficial deal!”

“What are you on about?” Keith hissed, finally breaking free of Lance’s grip. “You tried to make a deal with Lotor? What the hell, Lance?”

Lotor turned, making a run for it.

Keith cursed under his breath and immediately rushed after him.

“I quit.” Lance whispered, stunned. He stood frozen in his position. “I quit this team. You––Keith is about to try and go kill the person who could have been our biggest ally against Zarkon. I’m astonished. Do you even know where Lotor’s guards are? Does Keith even realize who he might go up against?”

Shiro let out a shaky exhale. 

“Lance, what do you mean biggest ally?”

“What does it matter now?”

Shiro slumped back in his seat.

Allura furrowed her eyebrows. She gulped nervously before calling out into the coms, “Keith, do _not_ kill the prince. Be careful, Lance said Lotor has guards––they may attack you. Track Lotor down. We’ll follow you shortly.”

Then, she added, “Paladins! Let’s hurry. We have to fend off the guards if they attack Keith. Change of plan: bring Lotor back, alive.”

Lance watched as all of the paladins exited their lions, helmets closed and bayards bared. He did not move, simply watched as they made their way over to him and then into the tunnels where Keith and Lotor had disappeared off to.

“Lance, are you coming?” Hunk asked, being the last person to rush into the tunnel. 

Lance’s expression remained flat. “No. You guys clearly have this handled.”

“Lance, come on––”

But Lance turned around, jumping up into the water once again and swimming his way back to where Blue was parked. As soon as she sensed his presence, she opened her mouth, allowing him to climb back into the cockpit.

“Let’s head back to the castle, Blue. You can rest in your hangar. You’re strong, baby girl, but this environment is getting to you. I don’t want you getting any more harm.” He instructed. Blue silently agreed, the engines buzzing back on before she made her way to the hangars in the nearby castle.

Once they were back in the castle, Lance tore out the comms from his ears and tossed them aside, ignoring the conversation the paladins were carrying––he wasn’t sure whether they were even directing any of the talk at him, anyway. He made his way back to his room, slipped out of the paladin armour and into his favourite outfit with the olive hoodie.

He fell back onto the bed, shoving his hands into the pockets of the hoodie, and stared at the ceiling.

He was done here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sdhjskalsjhdghdjska why do they do this to him
> 
> do you think Lance can make a come back? /Should/ he? (I vote for yes).


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is... gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite a while since the last update, I'm sorry guys! But the new season is only in 10 days, and I feel like I need to finish this story asap lool. 
> 
> This is more of a bridge chapter. Your thoughts & feedback would be appreciated at the end! Enjoy!

Lance stared at the paladin armour lying on his bed. 

It had been… God, how many months _had_ it been? How many _years_? How long had it been that he had been away from home, that he had been a paladin of Voltron, that he had given up _everything_ to be a part of this team?

It felt like years. _Lance_ felt like he’d aged years.

He let out a soft exhale, blinking his eyes against a few tears that inevitably formed. So this was it. This was the final straw, this was his last day as a paladin of Voltron.

He’d always imagined it would end much differently. In his vision, the team would return to Earth as Voltron, then they would disassemble, each paladin climbing out of their lion with their helmet in one hand and waving with the other. They would return as heroes, they would make their families _proud_. They would become space experts, they would continue their days aiding with space research and helping further understand the outer world. They would be remembered in history as _Voltron_.

Lance cracked his eyes open, sniffing quietly. Now, he would be returning as a coward. As a failure. He would go down in history as the insignificant paladin who could not even remain to finish his mission.

_But I would much rather be at home in my Mama’s arms_ _than suffer to be called a hero._ He thought. _What good will the title do me if I can never have my family? And who is to say that I will even get the title of being a hero? If my team does not consider me a valid paladin, how will anyone else?_

This was it, then.

He inhaled deeply before turning around, hands clenching into fists at his sides.

He made his way back to the Hangars, where Blue was standing proudly, her particle barrier erect. As soon as Lance stepped into the room, the barrier broke down, and Blue crouched down, opening her mouth to allow Lance into the cockpit.

Lance smiled softly, petting her as he made his way inside.

“You know how much you mean to me, Blue. You do, right?”

Blue was hesitant before purring back sadly.

“I know. I know, I’m leaving and it seems like I don’t care about you––but I promise, it’s not… It’s not an easy choice. I’ve always thought about leaving, but I never went with it, you know? And that was mostly because of you. Because you always felt like family when no one else did.” Lance took a seat on the pilot’s chair. “But now I have nothing else left, you know? You saw what they did back there. You saw what they’ve been doing for the past… while. This isn’t my place anymore. You deserve a better paladin.”

Blue did not agree.

“No, but you _do_. Once you have another paladin, you’ll see. You’ll love them.”

Blue, once again, did not agree.

Lance looked around the cockpit.

“I’m going to miss you.” He whispered. “I’m… I’m going to miss everyone.”

Then he stood again, climbed out of Blue, and placed a soft kiss on her face. “Don’t forget me, yeah?”

Blue purred something that felt much like: _I can never_.

“Love ya, Blue. Tell everyone to take care.” Lance felt a rush of anger rise at the thought of his teammates. “I mean, they’re assholes, sometimes. But I hope they defeat Zarkon.”

He pulled out the box Kolivan had given him to transport him to Zurgal, twirling it around in his hands and running his index finger over it. He closed his eyes, thinking of his mother, thinking of his older siblings, of his uncles and aunts and grandparents… and wished for home.

 

* * *

 

“Lance!” Hunk called out, running down the hallway. He had checked the main control room (where Kolivan and the others had been), Lance’s room, Blue’s Hangar, the kitchen, the training room…

Lance was nowhere to be seen.

Blue was still around, which was a good sign, right? And so was Lance’s armour. It meant Lance couldn’t have gone anywhere.

Right?

Hunk’s breathing began to grow laboured, more so due to his rising panic than to the physical labour.

As soon as Keith announced that Lotor had disappeared, Hunk had turned back and rushed to the castle. The remainder of the team was caught fighting off a few of Lotor’s guards and soldiers–-especially Keith, who had ran right into their midst in the attempt to capture Lotor.

Hunk was worried about Lance. It was a mess, a _mess_! Lance was with Lotor, he had convinced him that the team was his new _ally_ and…

And they had walked right in and screwed it all up.

“Lance!” He called out again. “ _Lance!_ ”

He came to a stop, resting his hand against the wall as he struggled to catch his breath. Where _was_ Lance?

He looked around the hallway with despair, trying to think of where else to search for Lance. He could not think of anywhere else Lance could have went. Hunk shook his head, deciding to head back to the main control room where everyone else should have gathered back in by now.

As expected, everyone was present.

They looked up to him expectantly.

“I don’t know where he is.” 

Their expressions fell.

“Lotor got away,” Allura muttered, rubbing her forehead.

Hunk stared at her.

“Lotor got away?” He repeated slowly. “ _Lotor_ got away? Are you being serious right now? Like, actually. You’re actually being serious.”

Allura furrowed her eyebrows. “Of course I am! He got away. He’s going to run back to his father now––all we’ve done is help encourage their teaming up!”

“I’m telling you that I can’t find Lance, and you’re––you’re seriously only talking about this.”

Allura shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm worried about Lance, too. His plan was not apparent to me. I couldn't see Lotor with him, I didn't realize he might have been playing at something else. But I... Lotor getting away..."

Hunk sighed. "I know. I know."

“Have you checked everywhere to find Lance?” Pidge asked Hunk, worry edging into her voice. “Maybe he’s in the Hangars with Blue, or in the training room to let out some steam. Matt and I can look around, too.”

“I checked _everywhere_ ,” Hunk ground out. “Blue is still here, and so is his armour. But I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

“We messed up, didn’t we?”

They all turned to look at Keith, who was nursing a bruised arm.

“We messed up. _I_ messed up. I’m looking back now and I realize––Lance had literally _brought_ Lotor to us. He was walking with him, he had somehow told him we were going to need him to be on our side, and we just… _I_ just…”

“Yeah. Yeah, and now they’ve both disappeared. Oh my God.” Hunk could not push down the panic. The anger. “What if Lance is out there? What if he jumped out of the castle? I mean, he had his helmet off when we saw him. He didn’t seem to be too affected by the environment, at least not immediately.”

Shiro stood up.

“Coran, can you scan the castle for his whereabouts? Can you scan around the castle?”

Coran sighed. “I've already scanned the Castle. None of the scanners could pick up his presence. I’ll start scanning our surroundings." He pressed a few buttons on the control panel, and blue lights began to maneuver their outer surroundings. "We’ll have to get moving soon––the Galra are starting to approach the castle, and they don’t look very happy.”

“I can’t believe this.” Shiro whispered. “Lance. God, what did we _do_.”

“The castle cannot find any signs of him anywhere around us, either.” Coran informed. 

“Then where is he?” Shiro yelled, throwing up his hands in frustration. “God, _Lance_. Jesus f––” He rushed out of the room, heading towards––heading towards _anywhere_ he hoped to find Lance.

What did Coran mean, the castle can’t locate him?

He has to be _somewhere_.

Keith ran after him, gently grabbing his shoulder. “Shiro, wait! I'm sure Lance is alright. Maybe he's _in_ Blue, and she's just masking his heat signals or something?"

"But what if he's not?" Shiro countered. "This just keeps going downhill. I––I haven't even had the chance to talk to him, I––If he's not here then––"

"He can't be anywhere else." Allura said softly. "Let's not... Let's not worry too much. As Keith said, Lance is probably in Blue. She's still here, his armour is still here... He couldn't have gone anywhere else. Maybe he just wants some time alone."

Shiro inhaled through nostrils, nodding his head slowly. Right. Right, Lance was probably just with Blue.

He nodded again. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. He couldn't have gone anywhere else."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?
> 
> Does his home on Earth still exist, or will Lance end up somewhere else in space? If it does exist, is his family still alive? How many years have passed on Earth?
> 
> If any of you guys have ideas/preferences don't forget to comment!
> 
> Thank you x


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in two days! Yesterday's chapter was shorter but this is a whooping 3k+ word chapter for you guys ;) I really hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> *Note: if anyone read chapter 8 yesterday, I recommend re-reading the ending because I changed it!

Shiro walked climbed into Black, falling back onto the pilot’s seat as soon as he could. He felt _drained_. When Lance had offered to go off to Zurgal on his own, Shiro had immediately refused––the idea of Lance risking his very life by going after Zarkon’s son _and_ in an unknown, potentially lethal environment was insane. Shiro could not agree to that. But Lance had gone anyway. Lance, a seventeen year old boy, had gone on this mission because he wanted to fulfil his purpose.

He had been willing to die.

_Lance_. Lance had been willing to die out there.

He had almost been expecting to die, and he went out anyway.

Shiro placed his human hand over his eyes as he tried to come to terms with the information he was processing. A lump was growing in the back of his throat, threatening to break out into a sob. 

Lance was, both literally and metaphorically speaking, the happy place of the team.

He was optimistic. He radiated with joy. Lance always spoke of returning home after defeating Zarkon, always encouraged Pidge when she had lost hope in finding her family, always supported Keith when he had trouble accepting his heritage… Lance had been a shoulder for Shiro to cry on when he felt lost and troubled. Lance had reminded Coran of his lost son, had always warmed his heart.

Lance was… Well, he was Lance.

And Lance was supposed to be the seventeen year old boy who always dreamt of a better future, who always believed in himself and his teammates, who was always there tohelp them back up when they fell, who was part of their _family_. He was not supposed to be the seventeen year old boy who felt displaced amongst his own team, who believed that the fight against Zarkon would last hundreds of years more, who would willingly go out knowing he could _die_ for the sake of the universe.

Shiro could never forget the day he held Lance in his arms back on Arus, when the bomb had gone off and the boy had saved Coran from the blow. He’d been limp, unmoving. His face had been relaxed, wearing an odd expression of peace––despite the battering he’d taken. 

The sob breaks out, and Shiro leans forward, lowering his hand to place it over his mouth. He bites down on his lip, pushing back against the oncoming flood of sobs. That had been one of the worst days of Shiro’s life, seeing Lance lie on the verge of death and knowing that there was nothing he could do to help him while he remained tied back at the hands of Sendak.

A similar feeling had erupted the moment Kolivan had announced that Lance had landed in Zurgal.

Shiro had felt terrible, knowing that Lance was out there risking his life, knowing that had he been more attentive to the younger man, he might have been able to work on a better, safer plan with him. But the team could do nothing but try to have his back––and they had failed at that, too. When Shiro had suggested that they provide backup for Lance, he hadn’t exactly meant, “let’s land, and then call out for Lance and possibly expose his location and cover without notifying him beforehand.”

Allura was the princess, and she was a very strong, smart young woman. Keith was a capable young man, Coran was a wise Altean but––everything had happened in the heat of the moment, and before Shiro could really process what they were doing, Lotor had escaped and Lance had stormed off saying that he _quit_ the team.

_He couldn’t have meant that_ , Shiro pleaded silently. _Lance would never leave the team. We’ve been through so much together, surely he knows that we can work it out like we always do?_

_And this time, I’ll make sure to talk to him. To_ really _talk to him, and to listen. I don’t think any of us listen to him as much as he needs us to._

He could feel Black start to purr softly, after having given him some time to just sit and think for a while. Shiro sat straighter, not bothering to wipe at the few tears that escaped as he blinked his eyes open.

“We just found Sam yesterday.” Shiro whispered. “It’s only been a day since we found him and heard about Lotor. How did… How did all of this happen so suddenly? I mean, we barely had the time to see Sam and rejoice and… then Lance was gone and we were following him and…”

Black filled him with reassurance.

“I know, hopefully we can fix it. We always do, right? But I can’t believe I let it get this far. I knew about how Lance felt, do you know that? I overheard him on the comms when we were out to get Slav. But I was so caught up with Slav, then with Zarkon, then with Keith and the Blade of Marmora… It escaped my mind. I forgot about it. How could I do that? How could I _forget_ about Lance literally saying that he was not special or that he had no place on this team?”

Black was unsure of how to respond.

“I just… God, Black. I’m not good at this. I’m not good at being like a father, or… or an older brother or… Maybe I’m not even a good team leader.” Shiro’s breathing grew laboured. “I should have been there for him.”

They sat in silence for a few more minutes.

“Black, could you communicate with Blue? Could you… Could you check on Lance? Are you able to do that?”

Black purred once again, promising that she will try.

Soon, Shiro felt her mood shift. She grew tense, somehow, and Shiro clenched his jaw. “What’s wrong? Is Lance okay?”

Black tried to show him something.

Shiro inhaled slowly and focused on seeing through her eyes.

Except… They were Blue’s eyes? Shiro could make out the paws of the blue lion at the corners of his vision. He could feel her mood, somehow––she was… she was _sad_ and _angry_ and…

Lance was approaching Blue. She immediately opened up for him.

_“You know how much you mean to me, Blue. You do, right?”_

_You are my pilot. I cherish you beyond everything._ Blue purred back. 

Lance climbed into the lion.

_“I know. I know, I’m leaving and it seems like I don’t care about you––but I promise, it’s not… It’s not an easy choice. I’ve always thought about leaving, but I never went with it, you know? And that was mostly because of you. Because you always felt like family when no one else did.But now I have nothing else left, you know? You saw what they did back there. You saw what they’ve been doing for the past… while. This isn’t my place anymore. You deserve a better paladin.”_

_You are my chosen paladin. I have chosen you since the day you entered my cave. I do not require or deserve another paladin._

_“No, but you do. Once you have another paladin, you’ll see. You’ll love them.”_

_I require no other paladin. I do not wish for another paladin._

_“I’m going to miss you. I’m… I’m going to miss everyone. Don’t forget me, yeah?”_

_I can never. You have been one of my greatest paladins, Lance._

_“Love ya, Blue. Tell everyone to take care. I mean, they’re assholes, sometimes. But I hope they defeat Zarkon.”_

Lance walked back out, then pulled a… box out of his pocket. He mulled it over for a few seconds before closing his eyes and… getting engulfed with a gleam of purple light before vanishing.

He vanished.

Shiro gasped as his eyes snapped back open. He was back inside Black.

“Was that… Was that a memory?”

Black purred back a sad confirmation.

“Lance… What was that box? Where did he go?” Shiro stammered, pushing himself to stand. “I have to let the team know. He’s not on the castle anymore. He’s not here.”

He hurried down the ramp as Black opened it, rushing to the main lounge where he knew most of the team had decided to gather previously.

Lance had left.

He had actually _left_.

He must have used the box that Kolivan had provided him to allow him to transport to Zurgal, but… Would it take him back to Earth? Could it be that easy? If it were that easy, surely the entire Blade of Marmara would have used the device more often. Hell, they would not even require wormholes.

Shiro needed answers.

He skidded over the marbled flooring as he came to a stop in front of the main lounge. He took a few steps inside, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. All eyes turned to him, concern immediately filling them as they took in Shiro’s sight.

“Lance is gone.”

“What?” Pidge asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “I thought we said he’s probably with––”

“He’s not. Black… Black somehow let me connect with Blue. I saw through her memories, I heard her _voice_ … Lance is gone. He’s not on the castle.”

“Wait, what? Then where is he?” Keith asked, rising to stand up. “How could he even leave? Blue is still here?”

Shiro gulped, turning his gaze to Kolivan. “The box you gave him. The one he used to go to Zurgal. He used it. Please tell me he’ll be safe.”

Kolivan’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the only box that could erupt in purple lights before making him suddenly vanish.” Shiro pointed out. “Do you think… Do you think there’s any immediate danger on him using it again so soon?”

“No. No, I mean he can use it up to four times within a small period of time before that would be a concern. That does not concern me. However… I cannot help but wonder where he has willed it to take him, and…” Kolivan exhaled slowly. “And I hope that _that_ does not cause any issues.”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked after a pause. “What do you mean? I––so where could it take him? Can he go anywhere with it?”

“Well, it could take him to either one of two places: to a living Galran, or to a land where Galrans may live. If the Galran has died, then he will be to follow. If the land no longer has Galrans living on it… then the device may grow confused and may send him off to the wrong place.”

Pidge’s shoulders began to tremble, and Hunk pulled her into a side hug, barely able to conceal his own fear. “And what… what Galra land or person would Lance want to visit?”

“What if he’s after Lotor?” Matt whispered. “What if he went directly after Lotor?”

“He would have kept his armour.”

“Not if he doesn’t want to fight Lotor. Not if he doesn’t want… not if he doesn’t want to speak to him as a paladin of Voltron anymore.” 

Shiro paled. He licked his drying lips and fell onto the cushion next to Sam. “You think Lance wants to continue the mission?”

“Maybe it’s the only way to win Lotor back.”

“But he said that he quit.” Hunk murmured. “Why would he say that? He said he quit, that he was done.”

“What if he doesn’t want to continue the mission? What if he wants to join Lotor but… but not for the sake of our mission?” Pidge asked, horrified.

“Lance would never do that.” Keith snapped. “He would never turn against us. Him leaving is one thing, but working with our enemy or helping Lotor against us? He would never.”

“Maybe not against us, but maybe just on Lotor’s side. For now.”

“ _No_.” 

Pidge looked away.

“And if he’s not with Lotor?” Shiro rasped. “What if he… what if he tried to go somewhere else? What if Lotor told him about another hideout or another Galran place that we could have attacked or… Where else could he go?”

Kolivan and Antok could only shrug.

After a while, Hunk asked, with a small voice, “Could that device send someone back to Earth?”

All gazes shifted towards him.

“I’m just saying. If Lance would go anywhere… He would want to go home.”

“Then that… That is much riskier, I’m afraid.” Said Kolivan. “If no more Galra live on planet Earth…”

“Even if they do. Who knows what year it is back on Earth?” Sam said, fear lacing his voice. “Is the box even accurate to the current time period? What if it sends him to a different time period back on Earth, can it do that?”

“Can we stop bringing up the bad possibilities?” Keith exclaimed. “Look, if he went back to Earth, then maybe he wants to see his family and… and maybe he wants to tell yours that you’re alive, maybe he wants to get us more support! If he went after Lotor, then he’s probably trying to fix… Trying to fix our mistake. I lunged at Lotor with my _sword_ and I think the only way to convince him that Lance wasn’t just playing him would be to go see him as _Lance_ , not as the Blue Paladin. Whatever he decided to do, I trust him. I trust him.”

Shiro let out a soft, pained chuckle. “Yeah. Yeah, I trust him too. But I don’t trust what the universe could do to him.”

Sam placed an arm around his shoulder, tugging him closer. For the first time in a long time, Shiro allowed the hot, burning tears to be released. He didn’t try to push back the sobs, or the rambling. He just…

God, he was tired.

He was so, so tired.

All he wanted was to be able to hear Lance make a soft joke to break the mood. To have Lance hug him tightly as he often did when he realized Shiro was distressed. To just _be_ there, safe and sound, with the whole team.

But he was _gone_.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Lance noticed when he opened his eyes was that he was home.

He was standing at the entrance of their house. His nieces’ and nephews’ shoes were scattered around the floor, despite their parents probably having asked them a hundred times to put them inside the shoe closet. 

Lance chuckled, taking another step into the house. And another. The house was awfully quiet, considering how many kids were probably around. He ran his hand over the wall, the smile on his face growing.

He was _home_.

He turned left at the end of the hallway, where the kitchen and the dining room were located across from the main living room. Something cracked under his foot, and he jumped back, eyes snapping to the object.

It was a shard of glass.

A vase lay on the hard wood, broken into shards, with a bundle of wilted roses. 

_It must have fallen a long time ago_ , Lance thought. _Even the water’s evaporated._

He crouched down, grabbing one of the yellow roses, and twirled its stem around between his fingers. The yellow roses––his mother always liked to keep them in the house. Apparently they were a symbol of friendship and optimism. Their colour reflected the sun, which his mother believed was a symbol for bright days.

His mother. God, how he missed her voice.

“Mom!” He called out, standing up once again. “Mom! I’m home!”

His voice echoed around the house.

It was then that Lance realizes the whole place was… darker than usual. 

The sunlight that illuminated their house was absent. None of the electrical lights were turned on, either. All that filled the place was the glow of a purple light coming through the windows.

Lance felt his heart drop.

He rushed back to the main door, pushing it open and stepping outside––

Only to find that the ocean had turned black, and the breathtaking blue sky he had grown accustomed to was replaced by a dark, mongering purple sky with smokey clouds. 

A gust of cold wind took him by surprise, throwing his hair into his eyes (when had his hair grown so long?), and Lance covered his face with his forearm. When it was over, he lowered his arm again and began pacing around the house.

The slides, the swings, the grill… They were all still there.

Where _was_ everyone?

It was almost as though they had fled the house, leaving everything behind, even their _shoes_ and…

Lance’s lips began to tremble, and he struggled to control his breathing.

“This is not home.” He mumbled. “This is not home. This can’t be. This can’t be.”

When he turned back around, it suddenly hit him.

The purple skies. The dark waters. 

The Galra were here.

Lance held his head between his hands, the wilted yellow rose falling to the ground by his feet. He looked around the eerie, quiet place. What happened here?

_It’s a Galra-specific transportation device, of some sorts. It is capable of taking you to only two places: a territory where Galrans may live, and back to any living Galran man or woman you can think of. The danger, here, lies in the unknown._

Kolivan’s words rush back into Lance’s mind. The device could only take him to a territory where Galrans live.

He’d _forgotten_ about that. He’d… He’d just wanted to leave, he’d wanted to escape the castle and the team and he’d just…

He’d just wanted to go home.

But the device had sent him to a time where the Galra were, quite literally, in his home.

Lance rushed back into the house, scouring the place for any newspaper or journal he could find. He needed to know what year it was. He needed to _know_ how long it had been since he’d join Voltron, how long it had been since the Galra came to Earth––

Then he found one, a newspaper lying by his grandmother’s rocking armchair.

He grabbed it with shaky hands, barely able to hold it in his grip. 

_July 28th, 2019._

Lance felt his mouth dry.

It had been his birthday. 

He would have… he would have been turning 20 years old on that day.

But he wasn’t there. And the Galra must have taken his family _on that day_.

Lance shook his head, pushing himself back up and walking over to the kitchen once again. He opened the fridge, and, just as expected…

A cake, with Lance’s face plastered on it, sat on the top rack.

He pulled it out, reading the words beautifully written with cake icing: “In loving memory of Lance McClain.”

They were… They were _celebrating_ his birthday. Three years after he had disappeared. That explained all the shoes in the entryway––everyone had been gathered for the occasion. Everyone had been…

He screamed.

And when it ended, he screamed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! What do you think?
> 
> Am I a terrible person?!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, this fic was meant to be much shorter but here I am having fun with the characters and trying out a different storyline! I don't like to write fics that have a lot of chapters but sometimes it happens and you know, if it's for fun, why not! I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Lance stared at the cake. 

He exhaled slowly, moving to put it back in the fridge. It felt as though he was in a nightmare––everything was surreal. The purple skies, the dark and abandoned house, the stillness of a place that was once so filled with life…

And the fact that he was somehow transported to the year 2019.

What puzzled Lance was whether he’d _actually_ been away from Earth for three years, and the device returned him to Earth as it would have been today, or whether the device had only sent him to 2019 because _that_ was when his home officially became part of a “Galra” land.

He shudders at thought. 

Closing the fridge, Lance ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out his next move. He pulled the travel-device out of his pocket. He could return to Kolivan and the team. He could tell them what he saw, and that they immediately needed to return to Earth to save everyone.

But how can they be sure that the device will take them back to the exact same time period? Or to the proper place at all?

And if they opened a wormhole, Lance was afraid that the time period would be even more confusing––how could they know that in real time, more years had not passed on Earth? What if, in reality, Earth was in the year 2050 now, but the device had brought him to _this_ time period. What if by 2050 the paladins had already saved the planet?

Groaning, Lance shoved the device back into his pocket and made his way upstairs. This was too much––all of it was _too much_. All he’d wanted was to return home, to feel safe again, to see his mother and his family and… just be with his loved ones. 

A lump formed in his throat as he stepped by his parents’ room, and he quickly averted his gaze. Oh, the times when he would sneak into this room at night because he could not sleep, or the days when his parents would have him sit between them while they read stories and talked about everything, or… or the day Lance announced he would be heading to the Garrison, and after a while his mother headed upstairs to her room, locking the door and _crying_ alone inside. Lance could hear her sobbing, but when he knocked and asked to come inside, she would insist that she was fine.

She wasn’t. And though she had supported him in pursuing his dreams, she had always told him she had an unsettling feeling about the whole ordeal. _This is your life, you decide your path… But you will be so far away from home, so far away from your Mama. I’m already worried about many things… Promise me you’ll be careful. Promise me you’ll come home and visit me often_.

Lance had only been allowed to travel back to Cuba once.

He placed a hand on the wall in order to steady himself, but could not control the sobs that erupted. He hadn’t kept his promise. He hadn’t visited his Mama often, and he hadn’t _come home_. Maybe he should have followed her instincts when she’d said she felt worried and unsettled… and stayed home.

Maybe he never would have joined Voltron.

It was too late to think of that now. It was too late to imagine the possibilities.

What could have been, what would have been… what _should_ have been.

Lance walked into his parents’ room, no longer illuminated by the sunlight that usually filled the room through the large windows, and fell face forward onto their bed.

He bundled the blanket in his hands and, just as he had done many years ago, he allowed himself to fall asleep with the comfort of his mother’s smell and the tears travelling down his cheeks.

 

* * *

 

“Lance!” 

“ _Lance!_ ”

Lance opened his eyes, immediately tensing upon finding himself in what appeared to be a Galra base. He straightened up, looking around, trying to fathom how he ended up here––

“Lance! Can you hear us?” A voice called out in Spanish.

His _mother’s_ voice.

He followed the voice, trying to track it down, and wound up before a series of prison cells.

His mother, father, siblings… they were all trapped here.

A number of voices began calling out to him.

_“Lance, you must save us.”_

_“Get us out of here!”_

_“Isn’t this what you wanted? Are you happy now?”_

_“You’ve returned now? It’s too late, isn’t it?”_

_“Help us!”_

“No!” Lance yelled. “No! It’s not too late! I can––I can get you out! I _will_ get you out, I promise!”

“And how do you think you can do that? All alone? Without Voltron?”

Lance paled.

 

* * *

 

Lance shot up in bed, eyes reddened and breathing heavy.

Looking around, he found that he was still at home. In Cuba. 

All alone.

He’d lost his family on Earth… and his family in space.

Pushing himself up and off the bed, Lance made his way over to his room––or what used to be his room, anyway. A few of his posters remained on the walls, but the décor had changed and the clothes hanging in the closet were most definitely not his.

He sighed. Someone else had moved into his room––of course. It had been three years. Who was it, he wondered, that had taken his room? It was probably one of his nephews, judging by the décor and the clothing. Which one of them, however, Lance could not be sure.

Then he spotted a small cardboard box, lying on the corner of the closet. Out of curiosity, Lance pulled it out.

_LANCE_ was written over it.

He furrowed his eyebrows, pulling it open, and nearly cried again when he saw what was inside it.

His blue sweater––one of his favourite sweaters––was stacked on top, along with a few more clothing articles that he wore often. Underneath were a few cards; birthday cards he’d received from friends, Mother’s Day cards he’d given his mother (one of them was from 2003! He had only been four years old), get well soon cards from family… Oh, and the photos. Lance chuckled, shuffling through the old-style photos that his parents had printed. They were all photos of Lance, starting from when he was a newborn and until he headed to the Garrison. 

Then a photo of ten-year-old him, with a tooth gap and a wide grin, receiving a kiss on either cheek from his parents.

He bit down on his lip to try and control his surging emotions, and slid the photo into the pocket of his jacket. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing for a few minutes, then turned his attention back to the box at hand.

He pulled out a few of the clothes his family had kept in the box, headed to the washroom, and decided he needed a good shower.

 

 

After the shower, Lance had slipped out of his old clothes––God, how many years has he been wearing this outfit for? They didn’t exactly have many new clothes out in space––and into his older, yet much cleaner outfit.

He pulled out the Galran device from his old jacket, along with the photo he’d taken from the box, and slid them into the pockets of his new sweater. 

Now he needed to find out what, exactly, had happened to Earth in their absence.

 

* * *

 

To be entirely honest, Lance was a little bit afraid to leave the safety of his home and enter the streets of this Galra-ridden future Earth. Would they kill him on the spot? Were humans even allowed to walk out on the streets? Would anyone recognize him as a paladin of Voltron?

Despite his worries, Lance tightened his hands into fists and pushed on.

The streets were much emptier, and darker, than Lance ever remembered them. But people still walked the streets, albeit silent and sullen, and so Lance was at least safe enough to be able to step out of the house, for now.

There were no cars.

It took a while for Lance to notice––as he’d grown accustomed to, well, not having any cars out in space. But then he realized that the actual _streets_ were void of cars, of bikes, of buses. Some cars were still parked, but they appeared… abandoned. None were being used.

Had the Galra banned the use of vehicles?

Lance needed answers. He just wasn’t sure where to find them.

A café was open, and Lance decided he needed to speak to someone, to _anyone_ , so he stepped inside and walked over to the counter.

No one was sitting on the tables.

Immediately, a man showed up behind the counter, looking worn and tired. His eyes widened at the sight of Lance, and a mixture of fear and anger began to line his features. “What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed in a deep, raspy voice.

Lance stepped back subconsciously. “Um. You serve coffee?”

“Do you want to get us killed?”

“What? No, I just––”

“Last guy who came in, trying to be dressed as a Galra to get himself a cup of tea, well, it didn’t end well for him and my shop was nearly shut down. You’re not even trying to hide, you’re just in here as––as yourself.”

“Wait, so humans aren’t allowed to go to coffee shops anymore?”

“What, have you been living under a rock? You haven’t seen this occupation?”

“It’s… It’s complicated. I haven’t exactly been around the past three years. I was, uh. I was out. I wasn’t here.” Lance tried to explain. “Maybe you can help me understand? What happened exactly?”

The man exhaled slowly. “So you’re not exactly here for some coffee.”

Lance shook his head.

“Come back this way.” The man gestured, unlocking the counter and opening a pathway for Lance. “If anyone asks, I might be hiring you to work with me to serve the Galra. Understood?”

Lance nodded shakily, following the man inside.

“What’s your name?”

“Lancelot. Well, I go by Lance. You?”

“Sergio.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Lance said, sincerely. “I haven’t seen your shop before. When did you guys open?”

“Well, we were always around, but they made us change the name. I never worked in the coffee shop, my sons did. But they were taken. Young, strong boys, they were taken to serve elsewhere. One was sent off to mining, the other to construction. Haven’t seen them in over a year now.”

Lance’s shoulders fell. “I’m so sorry.”

_They’d done this._

_They hadn’t stopped Zarkon, they hadn’t stopped the Galra_.

_They’d done this_.

“It’s not your fault, kid. You don’t have to apologize.”

_I do_.

“When did… um, when did the Galra come here, exactly?”

“Well, 2017. Two years ago. They started at the other end of the globe, quickly made their way here. Some countries fought back, lasted until 2018 or even earlier this year, but… For the most part, we’re gone. They’re just using the Earth’s resources and we gotta do it for them.” Sergio explained, his voice beginning to waver. “You really don’t know any of this? What happened to you?”

“Hard to explain.” 

_And I think you’d be safer off knowing less about me._

Sergio shrugged. “I won’t push ya.”

“And did… did no one else try to stop them? Did you guys get any foreign aid?”

“Well the countries tried to help each other at first but then each had to worry about their own land, you know? No one could fight another’s war.” Sergio said. “But we heard about those… lions. They came two years ago, only a little while after Galra had landed. I didn’t see them myself, but there were some pictures floating around. Some people said it was photoshop, social media bull and others swore they saw them with their own two eyes.”

“Lions?” Lance exclaimed. “Like, um, robot lions?”

Sergio raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Giant, robot lions. Piloted by humans or what have you.”

“And they didn’t defeat the Galra?”

“They couldn’t. I don’t know, I didn’t look too much into it. I didn’t see them, so I figured they weren’t worth my time to worry about, you know? Some people called them saviours, others called them an omen of doom.”

“And what did you think?”

“Well, they certainly weren’t saviours.”

Lance felt a pang in his heart.

So he _was_ really in the future, then. He hadn’t actually been away from Earth for three years, because in his timeline, where he came from, they hadn’t even considered returning to visit Earth yet or fight any Galra there.

“Yeah. Yeah.” He licked his dry lips. “And, uh… the Galra? They took over everything?” He voice grew shaky. “So there’s no more schools or playgrounds or theatres or…?”

Sergio studied him for a few moments before shaking his head.

Lance let out a sharp exhale, unable to process the information he’d heard.

So Voltron _had_ come, but had been unable to stop Zarkon?

Oh, _God_.

A bell rang by the door, and Sergio was immediately on his way out through the doors and to the counter. “Stay here,” he whispered to Lance as he rushed.

Lance remained inside, watching through the slit between the two doors.

Three Galran soldiers stomped inside, shoulders wide and noses high. 

“Get us three cold drinks. Now.”

“What––what flavours? I have, uh, lemon or strawberry or––”

“Three. Cold drinks. Now.”

Sergio exhaled shakily, hurrying back through the doors and rushing to the blender machine. He grabbed a few handfuls of ice, a yellow powder, and some packaged juice, hastily filling up the large blender. 

“Get me three large glasses, kid. Hurry.”

Lance furrowed his eyebrows, unsettled by the sudden anxiety that overtook Sergio, but looked around the kitchen to try and find the glasses. 

“In the lower cupboard, to your left!”

Lance pulled out the glasses, placing them on the counter next to Sergio, and watched as the older man poured the cold drinks into the glasses. With shaky hands, he reached up and grabbed a few colourful straws, sticking them into the drinks. After placing them on a small tray, he rushed back outside to serve the Galrans.

Lance followed him and stayed by the doors again.

“Who were you talking to?”

“No one, just––just a boy I might be hiring, I wanted to train him and see how he is––”

“Is he young?”

Sergio held his breath. “He’s feeble and weak and––”

“Call him out.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t want him on your––”

The Galran soldier slammed a hand down on the table. “Call him out. Now!”

 

* * *

 

Lance pulled out the device from his pocket, his throat growing dry. 

Last thing he needed was to be taken by the Galra. They would most likely search his body for weapons and devices and would most definitely take the transportation device from him.

His breathing grew laboured, and he thought––really hard––of Kolivan.

_Please take me back to him_. He told the device. _Please. I need to go tell the others. We need to stop this, we need to come stop this before it happens. Please, please, take me back to Kolivan_. _They need to come to Earth. I need to tell him._

 

* * *

 

Sergio opened the door. “Lance, come out.”

He looked at Lance apologetically.

Lance shoved the device back into his pocket, tears threatening to form in his eyes, and looked up to the soldiers. It hadn’t worked.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Lance.”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.” Lance rasped, stepping forward. This was it. The Galra would be taking him in before he even got to understand anything. Before he could help or warn anyone.

Unless…

Unless he could use it to his advantage. To get into the Galra base and be part of their team.

Risky plan. Worth trying.

“I’m––I’m healthy. And I’m great with shooting––in fact, they call me the Sharpshooter. Great with snipers. I don’t have a very big physique, I can’t carry much weight, but my skills with guns make up for it.” His voice came out a bit shakier than he’d intended, but he cleared his throat and pushed on. “And I’d be honoured to… to serve the Galra.”

_Honoured_.

He’d be honoured to end them.

The Galran man studied Lance, running his gaze over the human boy. “Come along then, _Sharpshooter_. Our leader will decide where to place you and what your skills are good for.”

Lance took a deep breath, sent Sergio a small smile, and followed the Galrans.

 

* * *

 

Kolivan evaded another lunge from Antok, sliding to the ground and attempting to knock Antok off his feet. Antok jumped, however, and came down with full force at Kolivan. Kolivan rolled over, rising to his feet quickly, and pointed his sword at Antok.

Before they could continue with their training session, a purple light erupted in the corner of the room, bringing them to a halt.

A voice then sounded, with harsh noise blocking some of the words. 

“ _Please. I need… tell the others. We… stop this, we need to come… before it happens. Please, please… Kolivan_. _Tell him…. Earth…_ ”

Kolivan inhaled sharply at the sound of Lance’s voice. 

“Is that…?” Antok whispered.

“The Blue Paladin. He still lives.”

“But he’s been gone for nearly two planet rotations now.” Antok noted. “We believed he was long gone ever since he’d left…”

“Wherever he is, he is trying to find me.”

“How could he send that message?”

“I don’t know. Unless…” Kolivan furrowed his eyebrows. “Unless he’s kept the device after all this time.”

“Device?”

“The one that allowed him to transport. To leave the team.”

“Why could it not transport him back to you directly?”

“Perhaps he’d exhausted it. The device is faulty, but it can try to deliver the message and accomplish its job.” Kolivan said. “He is on Earth.”

“I would believe so.”

“We must tell the paladins.”

“Will they believe you?”

“They must.”

“And will they trust him? After everything that happened since he left?”

Kolivan looked away. 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timeline might be a bit tricky so to sum it up:
> 
> Fic is set in 2017  
> Voltron team left Earth in 2016  
> Now Lance is 2 years into the future aka 2019
> 
> Kolivan at the end is from 2019 as well.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in more Lance emotional (and physical) hurt then don't forget to comment/subscribe/leave some kudos! x 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @zenyatta. Don't hesitate to send me a message!


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